SNAPSHOT | Zafrul now Anwar's senior political adviser; 47 containers with e-waste found

KINI SNAPSHOT | What's going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm and 9pm.

9pm

Politics

• Former investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has been appointed as a senior political adviser to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for a two-year term, effective March 4.

  In a statement today, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the appointment was to fill the position, which has been left vacant since then-political secretary Shamsul Iskandar Akin resigned on Nov 25 last year.

  On Dec 4 last year, Shamsul was slapped with four charges of taking RM176,830 in bribes from businessperson Albert Tei.

  He is accused of taking kickbacks in his capacity as Anwar's political secretary at the time, to help Tei's companies obtain mineral mining licences in Sabah.

Environment

• The Environment Department (DOE) uncovered 47 containers holding electronic waste following inspections of 99 containers during Operasi Bongkar Kontena Siri 1/2026 at Port Klang over two days.

  Bernama reported the DOE saying in a statement today, that the operation was carried out following a working visit by Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup to Port Klang on Feb 28, to review the status of detained electronic waste containers.

  

  "A total of 45 containers were inspected yesterday, of which 40 were found to contain scheduled waste, with 22 identified as electronic waste.

  "In today's operation, the DOE inspected 54 containers, of which 32 contained scheduled waste, with 25 identified as electronic waste," it said.

6pm

Corruption

• Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli’s office has denied that MACC summoned him to have his statement recorded.

  This comes after MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said in a press conference today that an ex-minister’s statement was recorded. He, however, stopped short of confirming if it was Rafizi.

  “YB (Rafizi) has not been served a notice to give a statement to the MACC. Azam left it very vague and open for interpretation,” Rafizi’s aide, Farhan Iqbal, said when contacted.

  Azam reportedly said statements from the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry, as well as the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, were also recorded. The probe is over Putrajaya’s RM1.1 billion deal with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings.

• In the same press conference, Azam said that the whereabouts of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin's three children remain unknown, as only one had reached out to the commission so far.

  He added that the commission is launching an investigation into the matter, including efforts to trace billions of assets believed to be linked to the family abroad, although he declined to disclose the countries involved.

  

  Azam said the probe is being carried out by the MACC’s Special Operations Division, which is working with foreign authorities from involved countries under mutual legal assistance frameworks.

  Separately, Azam had also declined to address questions regarding the MACC’s alleged “corporate mafia” and the controversy surrounding his shareholdings, maintaining that he would not comment on the matter and that any further queries should be directed to his lawyer.

• James Chai, a former special officer to Rafizi, has issued a press statement pushing back against MACC’s decision to issue a public wanted notice for him in connection with the RM1.1 billion deal with Arm.

  Chai contends that the investigation is politically motivated, designed to construct a narrative that Rafizi misappropriated public funds with Chai serving as a local facilitator - a role he likened to that of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).

  He also set out a detailed timeline of events, explaining that he was appointed to Rafizi's office in February 2023 and was subsequently tasked with exploring the Arm collaboration following a meeting between the firm and senior government ministers in April 2024.

  

  Chai stressed that he had no presence in cabinet meetings, no direct influence over the prime minister, and no personal financial gain from the deal. After Rafizi's resignation in June 2025, Chai said he briefly assisted Arm in a two-month transitional capacity before stepping away entirely.

  He noted that his family's home address was published in the notice, which he says exposed his parents to unnecessary risk. He states plainly that he is in the United Kingdom, working on artificial intelligence policy, and is not in hiding.

Court

• Rosmah Mansor has instructed her lawyers to file an application to review the Federal Court’s verdict that dismissed her final bid to recuse judge Zaini Mazlan, who presided over her corruption case and convicted her in 2022.

  News outlets quoted Rosmah’s lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader and Jagjit Singh, confirming that they have received such an instruction and will file the application by next week.

  

  The Federal Court, on March 3, had dismissed Rosmah’s final appeal to recuse Zaini after the panel, led by judge Nordin Hassan, found no appealable error in the lower court's decision.

  The decision paves the way for the Court of Appeal to hear Rosmah’s appeal against her 10-year jail term and RM970 million fine linked to the RM1.25 billion Sarawak solar hybrid project corruption case.

2pm

Court

• The Kuala Lumpur High Court has allowed Na’imah Abdul Khalid to seek the Federal Court’s determination on the validity of charges of alleged asset non-disclosure levelled against her.

  Judge Arief Emran Ariffin, who greenlighted Na’imah to pursue her constitutional challenge this morning, said that he is only allowing two out of the six questions proposed for the reference. 

  

  The first question was on whether Section 30(5) and 36(2) of the MACC Act 2009 infringe Na’imah’s rights protected under Article 5 and 8 of the Federal Constitution, which were the right to remain silent on the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, respectively. 

  The second question was on whether the two provisions satisfy the three-fold test of proportionality as entrenched in Article 8 of the Constitution. 

• The Court of Appeal has ordered Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to pay RM50,000 costs to his ex-aide, Yusoff Rawther, before April 16. 

  This came after Anwar’s counsels confirmed to the court this morning that they were instructed to withdraw their appeal against a High Court’s decision that dismissed Anwar’s bid to pause the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit filed by Yusoff against him.

  Malaysiakini previously reported that Anwar’s counsel had written to the court in February, stating their intention to withdraw the appeal. 

  The High Court, in 2025, had dismissed Anwar’s application to refer eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court as they did not meet the required legal standards. 

  Reporting by Farah Solhi 

• The government paid out RM933.36 million in court-ordered compensation and damages between 2020 and 2025, arising from offences, negligence, and wrongful acts committed by government officers and agencies. 

  Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim disclosed the figure in a written parliamentary reply to Selayang MP William Leong and also outlined three measures implemented to prevent similar losses going forward.

  First, the relevant ministries have been directed to conduct thorough investigations to identify the root causes and chronology of cases that resulted in court-ordered compensation or damages payments.

  Second, if officers or other parties are found to have been negligent or irresponsible in carrying out their duties, the controlling officer of the relevant ministry must recommend whether disciplinary action and/or a surcharge should be imposed on the officer concerned.

  Third, official reprimand letters will be issued to the relevant ministries, directing them to take appropriate action in accordance with prevailing financial regulations.

Corruption

Editor’s note: This entry was initially based on media reporting that former economy minister Rafizi Ramli was the ex-minister in question. It has been amended to better reflect Azam’s comments at the press conference.

• A former minister has given his statement to the MACC over a probe into Putrajaya’s RM1.1 billion deal with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings.

  MACC chief Azam Baki announced this, but stopped short of confirming if the individual is former economy minister, Rafizi Ramli, when questioned during a press conference today.

  Azam said statements from officers from the Economy Ministry, Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry, as well as the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, have also been recorded.

Politics

• Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said he would raise objections should his former deputy Hamzah Zainudin try to join Perikatan Nasional under a new party.

  He said the decision to join the coalition did not rest with one party alone, adding that “once bitten, twice shy”.

  

  Berita Harian also reported Muhyiddin as saying that Bersatu remained solid despite the majority of the party’s MPs siding with Hamzah.

  “Bersatu is still relatively solid. Tell me, if you say many are following Hamzah, how many hundreds of thousands have followed him? How many division chiefs have quit? It’s not all MPs and assemblypersons… many are still firm (with the party),” he said.

Hindu temple

• Penang police have warned against a planned rally this Saturday against a Hindu temple outside the Bukit Mertajam Hospital.

  "We advise that the proposed gathering be cancelled for the sake of preserving the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan and to maintain public peace and order in Penang," state police chief Azizee Ismail was quoted as saying by New Straits Times.

• DAP’s Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim has urged organisers to cancel a protest this Saturday against a Hindu temple outside the Bukit Mertajam Hospital.

  In appealing for the event’s cancellation in a Facebook post last night, the entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister called for the end of such “provocative rallies”, which he said only serve to fan flames of hatred.

  

  Sim has requested that the police ensure no parties hold such gatherings.

• Jelutong MP RSN Rayer filed a police report against controversial preacher Zamri Vinoth after the latter allegedly backed the rally while calling for the demolition of the religious structure.

  The DAP MP similarly claimed that Zamri’s social media post on the matter risked stirring racial and religious tensions.

  Urging the police, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the cabinet to act against Zamri, Rayer called on Malaysians who appreciate the nation’s multicultural and multireligious nature to file police reports against him.

READ MORE: Zamri, protest co-organiser remanded for two days, under sedition probe

9am

Politics

• Former premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob has denied any links between Parti Keluarga Malaysia and his Yayasan Keluarga Malaysia foundation.

  

  Speaking to Suara.TV last night, Ismail Sabri - whose administration used the Keluarga Malaysia tagline - admitted that the phrase has not been trademarked, but raised concerns that the party may cause confusion.

  Parti Keluarga Malaysia - which does not appear to be registered with the Registrar of Societies - came into the spotlight after news yesterday that former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin was planning to take over the party.

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