KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has provided his statement for the investigation against him for allegedly defaming a minister over the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal, police said today.

According to Berita Harian, Sentul district police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai said investigators also confiscated a phone from the former Pandan MP as part of the probe.

"We have completed recording his statement and the investigation is ongoing,” he was quoted as saying.

Beh added that the investigation was being conducted under Section 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation and Section 233 for the Communications and Multimedia Act for the abuse of network facilities.

Last month, an aide to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad lodged a police report on his behalf against Rafizi for saying a woman named Zainab Mohd Salleh was the minister’s second wife and was linked to the scandal.

Rafizi alleged that Zainab owned Alizes Marine Ltd, a company that received funds for the LCS project, and was named in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, two controversial lists that detailed how offshore companies were used to hide money gained from illicit activities around the world.

Dr Abdul Latiff previously denied this, prompting Rafizi to challenge him to sue instead of only denying.