PUTRAJAYA, May 6 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has recommended two people involved in the chip patent deal with UK semiconductor giant Arm Holdings to be charged, its outgoing chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said today.

“Two people. I can’t tell you who, but we are recommending that they be charged,” he said at a press conference to unveil four of the dozen artworks bought with siphoned money from 1MDB at MACC headquarters here.

“But whether or not they will be charged, it’s not up to us. If they (the Attorney General Chambers) don’t think they should be, then okay, but on our side, we recommended the two be charged,” Azam added.

To date, the MACC has yet to clarify what exactly about the RM1.1 billion deal violated the law, but the chief commissioner suggested the investigation is being conducted under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 for abuse of power, Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, and Section 409 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust.

Up until Tuesday, the agency had recorded statements from 22 witnesses, Azam revealed, including political analyst James Chai and former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.

“The investigation is now nearing its final stages. At this point, there are only two more witnesses whose statements need to be recorded — one in Taiwan and another (who is) within the country,” the MACC chief said.

Rafizi has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, alleging that the investigation is politically motivated because of his vocal criticism of the commission, which itself is beset by allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

The partnership with Arm Holdings was signed in March 2025, a deal that the Anwar administration had said would be a catalyst for the country’s ambition to become a chip-making powerhouse.

The deal, involving Malaysia’s purchase of Arm’s chip design patents, is worth approximately RM1.1 billion (US$250 million), to be paid over 10 years.

Malaysia secured 32 Arm design licences — 25 basic and seven advanced. These “tokens” allow local companies and startups to use Arm’s intellectual property to design their own “Made-in-Malaysia” AI chips, the government said.