Rafizi Ramli is a Malaysian politician, currently serving as the Minister of Economy in the Unity Government administration led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2022. He previously represented the Pandan constituency in the Malaysian Parliament from May 2013 to May 2018, and resumed office in November 2022.
Bio/Wiki
Age- 46 years
Full name- Mohd Rafizi bin Ramli
Height-5.4(approx.)
Weight-70kg (approx.)
Born- 14 September 1977
Birthplace- Besut District, Malaysia
Profession-Politician, Minister of Economic Affairs of Malaysia
Party- Pakatan Harapan
Office-Minister of Economic Affairs of Malaysia since 2022
Nationality- Malaysian
Family
Details about Rafizi’s parents are unavailable, but it is known that his father worked as a rubber tapper.
Wife
Rafizi is married and has two children. He keeps his personal details private.
Education
He attended Malay College Kuala Kangsar for his secondary education and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Leeds.
Career
Rafizi began his career at an accounting firm in the UK while pursuing professional papers to qualify as a chartered accountant under the ICAEW. Upon returning to Malaysia in 2003, he joined Petronas until 2009, handling various portfolios including petrochemical assets management. He then served as the general manager of Pharmaniaga before becoming the Chief Executive of the Selangor Economic Advisory Office until July 2012. In the 2013 general election, he won the Pandan seat, previously held by Ong Tee Keat, with a significant margin. Rafizi did not contest the 2018 general election due to pending legal issues related to leaking banking details, and the Pandan seat was won by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
On 15 March 2022, Rafizi announced his re-entry into active politics, expressing his intention to participate in the 2022 PKR party elections for the vacant deputy presidency. He emphasized the need for progressive, multiracial politics to prevent PKR and PH from remaining a marginalized “third power.” While his supporters urged his return, PKR leaders showed divided opinions. Some criticized his previous departure, while others welcomed his potential to strengthen the party. Rafizi had previously contested against Azmin in the 2018 PKR deputy president elections but was defeated. On 29 May 2022, Saifuddin conceded defeat, acknowledging Rafizi’s significant victory in the deputy presidency contest, although the results were unofficial at the time. Rafizi was expected to officially assume the position on the final day of the PKR National Congress on 17 July 2022, following the announcement of official results by the PKR election committee.
Controversies
Rafizi faced charges under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) 1989 for disclosing confidential Public Bank customer-profile documents related to the NFC scandal. He allegedly shared these documents with media personnel at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya in March 2012. Despite his efforts to dismiss the charges, they were upheld by the courts, leading to his sentencing to 30 months in jail in February 2018. However, this conviction was overturned by the High Court in November 2019, resulting in Rafizi being fully discharged from the earlier jail sentence.
In August 2017, a Malaysian High Court in Kuala Lumpur upheld an 18-month jail sentence against Rafizi for possessing page 98 of the 1MDB audit report without approval, a violation of the Official Secrets Act 1972. This conviction barred him from contesting in the GE14. However, on 1 June 2018, after GE14, Rafizi was released on a good behavior bond by the Court of Appeal.
On 16 November 2019, Rafizi succeeded in his appeal in the NFC scandal case. Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa ruled that certain documents were inadmissible under the Evidence Act 1950, resulting in Rafizi’s discharge and acquittal, along with bank clerk Johari Mohamad.
Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be around 8 million.
