KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said he will move ahead with legal action against social media personality Caprice, after the influencer failed to apologise within the time frame he was given.

Rafizi said Caprice’s online posts had the effect of alleging he held vested interests in his own firm, Invoke Solutions Sdn Bhd.

“Questions delivered as accusations or insinuations cannot be used as an excuse to evade legal action under defamation laws.

“In fact, elements such as innuendo and implied sarcasm can also be taken into account by the court when determining whether a statement is defamatory,” he said on his Yang Berhenti Menteri (YBM) podcast alongside moderator Haziq Azfar Ishak yesterday.

Earlier, Caprice had demanded Rafizi remove all related social media posts and apologise by 5pm or face legal action.

The dispute centres on Rafizi’s comments responding to Caprice’s claims about an alleged RM2.5 billion corruption case tied to the awarding of a contract to a company said to be linked to him.

Caprice, whose real name is Ariz Ramli, has denied ever mentioning the RM2.5 billion figure or using the word “corruption” in his videos.

Rafizi said the evidence put forward gave him a strong basis for a lawsuit, noting there were no elements suggesting a conflict of interest on his part.

“The elements to consider are whether corruption occurred, whether there was a giver and receiver, and whether there was interference.

“If I had really received bribes, I would have been in jail long ago. But that has not happened. 

“I’m confident the Anti-Money Laundering Crime Investigation Team (AMLA) monitors me every day,” he said.

He added that he only came to know the businessman involved after stepping away from frontline politics, and that the relationship was purely professional, based on the client work undertaken by Invoke Solutions.

Regarding an SSM search circulated online, he said the documents actually referred to preference shares.

“It’s in the form of a loan, not equity. 

“For Caprice to claim these are vested-interest shares is completely wrong, because they are simply clients. 

“Invoke has many clients — if you follow that logic, then everyone would have a vested interest,” he said.

Rafizi further suggested the row was an attempt to divert attention from issues he had raised about the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.

“This tactic is meant to reduce the time and energy spent on Azam Baki. But they don’t realise I have plenty of ‘fat’ to focus on that case,” he said.