Rafizi's ex-aide vexed by state resource use after MACC's wanted notice

A former aide to ex-economy minister Rafizi Ramli expressed frustration after the MACC issued a notice seeking him out to facilitate investigations into allegations linked to Rafizi.

The investigation centres on claims that Rafizi expedited a government deal worth RM1.1 billion with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings.

"I am a bit tired of state resources being used this way," James Chai said when contacted, adding that he would be issuing a statement on the matter soon.

Earlier today, the MACC issued a wanted notice for Chai, seeking public assistance to locate him.

Shortly after, in a press conference, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said that Chai is being sought as a wanted person, not a witness, the New Straits Times reported.

"I did not say he is a witness. He needs to return to Malaysia immediately for his statement to be recorded.

"So far, we have not received any response from him. That is why we issued the media statement, as he needs to return from the United Kingdom," Azam reportedly said.

Chai fires back

In a lengthy statement shortly after, Chai criticised the MACC hunt for him.

"To suggest that I was involved in misappropriation or abuse of power or anything of that nature, I must be proven to have (a) acted in bad faith by being involved in the project proposal for the period between May 2024 to March 2025; (b) influenced the prime minister, cabinet, and the entire government machinery; and (c) misappropriated or personally benefited from something I had influence over.

“I had none," Chai said.

He also provided a timeline of events relating to the deal with Arm.

Detailing timeline of events

Chai said that Rafizi had tasked him with exploring the collaboration opportunity with Arm, as he was in charge of the KL20 Summit 2024 and most tech-related initiatives of the ministry, among others.

"Between May 2024 and March 5, 2025, I probably created 20 plus Google Slides, 10 plus Google Docs, and talked to 100+ stakeholders in government and the industry, to shape the idea of the collaboration.

"Feedback from other ministries, including the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry and Finance Ministry were reflected in the final agreement. The proposed collaboration was presented to the cabinet three times in total. I was not in the cabinet as I am not a minister," Chai added.

He said that on June 17, 2025, he and his colleagues resigned along with Rafizi, and were then asked by Arm if he could assist them in a short-term transition period.

"I was reluctant because I was thoroughly exhausted working in government, and I wanted a break. But Arm had no presence in Southeast Asia. They don’t know who to talk to in government and industry, how the government works, what Southeast Asia is like, neither the culture nor the people - they don’t even know how to speak Malay," Chai said, claiming that the government had also made Arm promise "to do a lot of things."

"The resignation was abrupt and unexpected, so it caught everyone off guard, including me. I also felt responsible for the project that I was involved in; Arm must fulfil its obligations so that no public funds are wasted.

“So I did two months’ work for Arm to help with the transition, such as setting up the office, creating Google Slides, meeting with potential integrated circuit design companies, putting the team and structure in place, organising training for engineers, and raising public awareness, etc.

"After exactly two months, I resigned from the short-term role so I could finally move on with my life," Chai added.

He lamented that there has also been a prolonged coordinated smear campaign against him, run by anonymous accounts, pushing a negative narrative about him. These accounts, he said, even labelled him “Jho Low 2.0.”

Chai was referring to fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho, an alleged mastermind of the 1MDB scandal.

Malaysiakini has published Chai's statement in full.

MACC ‘weaponised’

Last month, Rafizi expressed his determination to sue the government if the MACC’s probe into his alleged misconduct does not result in court charges.

Claiming that his move to press legal action against the government in such an instance would be to ensure others do not fall victim to similar situations, Rafizi slammed the anti-graft agency for allowing itself to be used as a “weapon”.

On Feb 17, the Pandan MP described MACC’s investigation into him as a form of intimidation, linking it to his demand that Azam be suspended.

Rafizi said MACC had “suddenly become active” in probing allegations of misconduct and corruption during his tenure as economy minister, centring on two major national policies - the Silicon Vision Programme and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).

READ MORE: Rafizi slams MACC probe, accuses PM of letting his allies weaponise slander

Rafizi argued that the timing of the MACC probe - following his call for Azam’s suspension after allegations reported by Bloomberg - demonstrated the risk of abuse of power.

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