KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 ― The Finance Ministry drew fire from opposition lawmakers today for its “vague” reply to a question on a RM3.8 billion loaned from Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pencen (KWAP) for SRC International Sdn Bhd.

In a written reply to Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, the ministry did not specify how RM3.8 billion out of the RM4 billion loaned in 2011 from the civil service retirement fund was spent except that it had been invested in Indonesia, Mongolia and “some other countries”.

The ministry also did not specify the names of the other countries, something which Rafizi said was “vague” and demanded immediate clarification.

The reply stated said that the money was invested in “natural resources and coal mines”.

“I asked a specific question, and what I got was a vague and general answer,” Rafizi told reporters at news conference.

Earlier this month, the Finance Ministry said that SRC International has invested its funds in natural resources and coal both domestically and overseas.

In a short written reply to Petaling Jaya-Utara MP Tony Pua dated March 16, the ministry said SRC International had committed to both direct investments and joint-venture deals with international partners.

“SRC International Sdn Bhd will evaluate investment proposals according to SRC's mandate as a long-term strategic company,” the ministry said, without giving any details or the value of the investments made.

Pua had said the written answer did not explain what happened to some RM3.81 billion allegedly invested by SRC International into a joint-venture with Gobi Coal & Energy Ltd in a project in Mongolia.

He claimed that the ministry's reply contradicted the firm's own explanation of how it spent the funds in its 2014 financial statement.

Putrajaya has also confirmed that SRC International entered a 50-50 joint-venture with Gobi Coal and Energy, but did not reveal how much was invested by the Malaysian firm in the deal.

Pua had earlier claimed that SRC International, a company founded in 2011 as a 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary, was removed from 1MDB’s books and parked directly under the Ministry of Finance in 2012.

Two weeks ago, Rafizi  declared that he will file a civil suit against KWAP for its allegedly “careless” approval of a government-guaranteed RM4 billion loan to SRC International.