KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 20): Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli on Wednesday said his recent whistleblower meeting was in connection with businessman Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak’s companies, and not any other political figure.
Rafizi said the meeting, which took place on Aug 6, was tied to his ongoing investigation into transactions linked to Farhash’s businesses. Farhash, a former political secretary to current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, currently holds interests in several public listed companies.
Rafizi dismissed speculation that his probe was linked to former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob or former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar.
“Both accusations are untrue. I have not investigated or touched on either of them. This is a malicious attempt to divert attention,” he said. Rafizi added that he supports Ismail Sabri’s decision to file a police report over the false allegations.
Rafizi, who is also the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) member of Parliament for Pandan, said he believes the wave of disinformation that followed the incident was part of a broader effort to “divert the public’s attention and the investigation”.
“The more false stories that arise, the clearer it becomes that they are an attempt to deflect attention,” he said.
In July, Rafizi called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to open an investigation into Farhash over allegations linked to a mineral exploration licence in Sabah.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ismail Sabri thanked Rafizi for clearing the rumours and confirmed that his press secretary had filed a police report on Aug 18 over a Facebook page spreading false claims.
“The contents of the articles uploaded were completely untrue and malicious, intended to tarnish my reputation,” his statement read. The former prime minister added that reports have also been filed with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Facebook to seek immediate action against the operators of the page.
Ismail Sabri stressed that he has instructed his lawyers to pursue further legal action, while calling on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take firm action against those responsible for spreading defamatory content.
The Edge has reached out to Rafizi to determine if he had filed a police report over threats to his wife, which he believes to be linked to his Aug 6 whistleblower meeting.
On Aug 13, Rafizi’s 12-year-old son was stabbed with a syringe at a Putrajaya mall in a planned attack, according to Rafizi. The next day, his wife received threatening messages.
The case has since been taken over by the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department, according to Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar.