KUALA LUMPUR April 28, 2026 – Former PKR vice-president and former Economic Minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has publicly urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) to issue him a formal summons after his ex-policy aide James Chai returned from Cambridge today to give testimony in the ongoing investigation into the government’s RM1.1 billion collaboration with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings.
In a detailed statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning, Rafizi clarified that the SPRM probe centres on allegations that the deal — announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in March 2025 — was rushed through approval processes, rather than any missing public funds.
“James Chai, my former policy aide, has just returned from Cambridge to provide his statement to SPRM today,” Rafizi wrote. “The investigation concerns claims of rushed approval in the government’s partnership with Arm, the world’s leading semiconductor software giant.”
He added that the March 2025 initiative was aimed at elevating Malaysia’s semiconductor industry from chip assembly and testing to actual chip design and intellectual property creation — a strategic move to position the country higher in the global value chain.
Rafizi stressed there is “no connection” to any missing money. “If there were, I would have been arrested long ago and millions of ringgit would have been displayed to the public, as has happened in other politicians’ cases,” he said.
He drew a pointed comparison to the earlier ART agreement, which some quarters had also labelled as “rushed” but which, according to Rafizi, has not faced similar scrutiny.
Anticipating he may be the next person called — and possibly arrested — within the coming weeks, Rafizi made an unusual public appeal to SPRM:
“I do not use WhatsApp and I do not answer calls from unknown numbers because of the high number of scammers. Therefore, I request SPRM to send the official summons or arrest notice to my email: rafizi.ramli@gmail.com.
“Do not worry, I have never run away. I have been detained dozens of times by authorities since 2010 and have never fled once. InsyaAllah, we will meet at SPRM headquarters in Putrajaya very soon.”
The post, which includes a video statement by Rafizi, has already drawn significant public attention, with supporters praising his transparency and critics questioning the timing and motives behind the investigation.
The Arm Holdings deal, valued at US$250 million (approximately RM1.1 billion) over 10 years, was hailed at launch as a landmark partnership to boost Malaysia’s high-tech capabilities and attract more foreign investment in the semiconductor sector.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor developments as the SPRM investigation progresses.
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