The alleged financial mismanagement and corrupt practices of the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation.
MEDIA STATEMENT, 26 NOVEMBER 2015
The alleged financial mismanagement and corrupt practices of the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (Yapeim), which boasts of 5,000 contributors under the ‘Amal Jariah’ fund who contributed between RM1 and RM500 a month through salary deduction, has show cased yet again the unfettered abuse of charities linked to the government for personal gain by those in the echelons of power.
Reeking of nepotism, and misappropriation of public funds involving its top leadership, The Center to Combat Cronyism and Corruption (C4) is flabbergasted to discover that Yapeim’s deputy president Zaleha Hussin’s husband and son are appointed to several key positions in the foundation and its subsidiaries. At a time when Malaysians are suffering the onslaught of the ringgit de-valuation and the burdensome GST, the family trio’s alleged joint monthly income of RM81,700 – if true – is disconcerting to say the least.
If that isn’t troubling enough, Yapeim has also been accused of reportedly spending RM490,000 on a marriage course in Paris, and RM100,000 on a trip to New York, without any accountability from the Minister in Charge, Jamil Khir..
Instead of probing these staggering claims, the police are chasing after the whistleblower – Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir – who faces possible criminal charges for having in possession leaked internal documents to back his claims. Nevermind that the documents provided by Akmal have been verified as genuine by Yapeim director Abibullah Samsudin.
Police reports have been lodged against Akmal, while the accused runs free, with impunity and without fear of being caught or found out. This isn’t the first time of course, where whistleblowers become the prime target, rather than the alleged perpetrator.
There seems to be no urgency to seek for truth or to probe the real culprits behind the allegations in contrast to the urgency to silence the critics, the messengers and the whistleblowers.
C4 urges:
1. Yapeim’s fund to be subject to a strict audit review by an independent auditor to ensure no public funds have been abused or further used to enrich certain individuals in the Foundation;
2. Ensure transparency and accountability by imposing hard measures in the management of public funds of the Foundation to ensure the practice of nepotism and cronyism can be curtailed or wiped out immediately;
3. Police to cease the probe on the whistleblower Akmal and instead refocus the force’s attention on bringing to book the real culprits behind the financial scandal so that proper punishment can be meted out to the wrongdoers; this will restore the public’s faith in the police force instead of reinforcing the perception of the police being lackeys of certain powerful being.
C4 also calls on the authorities including the 222 lawmakers in Parliament to:
1. See to the amendments of secrecy laws so that whistleblowers can be protected instead of becoming the accused, to ensure that the evidence they provide can be used to probe the real culprit.
2. Enact a National Freedom of Information Act – which are currently implemented in Penang and Selangor – to ensure transparency and accountability in all government agencies so as to cut out graft and abuse of public funds, to promote a clean and corrupt free environment for all Malaysians to prosper.
We must show political will to break the corruption chain now!
Released By
Cynthia Gabriel
Executive Director
