Nik Nazmi said that until now, Sanusi has yet to address the claims made by home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on his involvement in mining rare earth elements (REE).

“Sanusi’s claim can be seen as an attempt to divert attention from himself, but the main issue here is whether he can refute the claims made by Saifuddin,” he said in a statement today.

At a ceramah on Tuesday, Sanusi claimed that Anwar once introduced an Indonesian tycoon, identified as Riza Chalid, with the prospect of mining REE in Kedah.

He suggested that Saifuddin’s recent remarks on the issue may relate to this matter.

Sanusi said he remembered that the tycoon, who he called Pak Riza, had met various people to apply for REE mining land. He said Anwar and Pak Riza had visited Kedah a few weeks before the state assembly was dissolved.

Nik Nazmi advised Sanusi to stop pointing fingers at others and respond to the claims made against him first.

He said Saifuddin has furnished “proof” linking Sanusi with a Chinese national allegedly involved in the extraction of REE in the state.

At a press conference at the Kedah PKR headquarters on Tuesday, Saifuddin produced a photograph of Sanusi with a man he identified as So Loi Fat, who he claimed was one of two skilled workers brought in by Kedah Menteri Besar Incorporated (Kedah MBI) to mine REE.

Saifuddin also produced a letter purportedly signed by Kedah MBI CEO Sobri Osman.

“The letter clearly names the two Chinese nationals (including So). Sanusi must be responsible and answer the questions that arise,” he said.

Previously, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission arrested Sobri and a female director of a company to assist in an investigation allegedly involving more than RM13 million. The pair have since been released.