KUALA LUMPUR: PKR vice-president Datuk Seri R. Ramanan has challenged former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli to produce evidence to support his allegation that Ramanan received RM9.5 million from a businessman to resolve the so-called “corporate mafia” issue.
Ramanan claimed the allegation had been circulating for six to seven months without Rafizi presenting documentary evidence to substantiate it.
He said Rafizi should disclose the evidence he claimed to possess rather than repeatedly making the allegation without supporting documents.
Ramanan made the remarks after officiating the Human Resources Ministry’s (KESUMA) staff service appreciation ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
He also questioned Rafizi’s statement that he had yet to receive a writ of summons from Ramanan, adding that he did not want legal proceedings to become a burden on the public.
Ramanan further alleged that the issue was being used to divert attention from other matters involving Rafizi, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim.
He said his priority as Human Resources Minister remained workers’ welfare, employment opportunities, human capital development and social protection.
Meanwhile, Rafizi had said he had not received the writ of summons over the RM9.5 million allegation and was prepared to present the evidence he possessed in court.
He also questioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s explanation in Parliament regarding the corporate mafia issue, arguing that questions over whether individuals within enforcement agencies had colluded with businessmen remained unanswered.
Anwar had previously rejected the allegation that a minister received RM9.5 million from a businessman, describing it as a political claim unsupported by evidence. He also said legal action had been taken in relation to the matter.
-AWANI
