KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — Chinese vernacular newspaper Sin Chew Daily offered an apology to PKR’s Rafizi Ramli today over a report claiming he coveted the post of finance minister.

Sin Chew posted an explanation on its website this evening admitting an error in its May 13 report claiming Rafizi "advised” PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to snub a Pakatan Harapan (PH) meeting on Cabinet posts after he was purportedly overlooked for the finance portfolio.

Rafizi said yesterday he will sue Sin Chew Daily for defamation over the report.

"Sin Chew Daily regrets misquoting the source, thus causing unintended damage to Mr Rafizi, to whom we would like to extend our most sincere apologies,” the newspaper said.

Sin Chew also said the offending report has been removed.

Rafizi came out to dispute Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement of three PH leaders for three key portfolios, saying that PKR was not consulted beforehand.

The former Pandan MP has repeatedly stressed that he is not interested in any posts and was only expressing his concern over the manner that such appointments were being decided.