In a statement, Sentul police chief Beh Eng Lai said the authorities received a report last night against Rafizi. The report was lodged by an aide of special functions minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

The case is being investigated under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 for inappropriate use of network services.

In a Facebook post last night, Latiff said Rafizi’s allegations, including that he had a wife who was linked to two companies involved in the misappropriation of funds in the LCS project, were aimed at smearing his reputation and inciting the people against him.

He was referring to Rafizi’s naming of a woman, Zainab Salleh, mentioned in a forensic audit report on the project.

Latiff has repeatedly denied the woman was his wife and has challenged Rafizi to prove that he was married to Zainab.

The RM9 billion LCS project for the navy has come under scrutiny for its cost and delay in delivery after Putrajaya had spent RM6.08 billion but none of the six ships have been completed or delivered, according to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.