MACC said it was tracking down Chai Jin Shern, also known as James Chai, appealing to members of the public with information on his whereabouts to contact investigating officer Hafidz Abd Halim at 017-5046503.

“Chai Jin Shern’s last known address is 10, Jalan Nikel 7/26A, Seksyen 7, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor,” it said in a statement.

Chai was special functions officer to Rafizi when the Pandan MP was the economy minister.

He left the ministry after Rafizi resigned as minister last May.

Chai is a law graduate from the University of Oxford and an author. He is also a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and a columnist for CNA.

Last week, a MACC source said the economy ministry’s secretary-general was among several witnesses the agency would summon in its probe into a RM1.1 billion agreement between the government and a foreign firm.

The source said the agreement had allegedly been pushed through in haste despite not having the agreement of the finance ministry and the investment, trade and industry ministry.

The source also said several individuals were allegedly given senior posts in the foreign company involved after they stopped working with the government.

Rafizi previously accused MACC of conducting a politically motivated investigation against him.

He said the allegations against him revolved around two major government policies – the Silicon Vision Programme and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) – both of which he said went through multiple layers of government approval, including Cabinet endorsement.

The Silicon Vision Programme involved a collaboration between the government and UK-based semiconductor company ARM Holdings to create the country’s first semiconductor chips.

The NETR outlines the country’s energy transition targets up to 2050 and involves major investments in the green industry.