Over the weekend, three individuals with links to Rafizi Ramli, the Vice-President of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), part of Malaysia’s ruling coalition, were nabbed by police at a Sentul, KL condo, after they were found to be in possession of marijuana.
One of the suspects works for Rafizi’s non-profit, big data research non-profit, Invoke as a marketing executive, while another is employed there as well, as a graphic designer. The third individual is a former employee. According to police, two of the suspects are women.
Authorities found 75 grams of marijuana at the residence, in the Jinjang area of Sentul early Sunday morning, and the trio are currently being held under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Rafizi, long known as an activist and firebrand within political circles, started Invoke to survey and profile Malaysian voters, detailing their age, gender, location, race, religion and where they fall on the political spectrum. Their database is also questioned on hot-button issues, and voting tendencies.
He is also the founder of the whistleblower organization, the National Oversight and Whistleblowers Center (NOW).
Asked for comment, he has said that he will leave it to his company’s lawyers to gather all the relevant information pertaining to the case, but added that employees are ultimately responsible for their actions when off the clock.
“If there is any breach of discipline that goes against the company’s ethics – whether during or outside of office hours – it will go through the disciplinary process in accordance to labor law and company policy.
“I leave it to the authorities to handle the investigation and any further action, as they would in any other case,“ he said.
