Malaysian king orders immediate, thorough probe into alleged child abuse, criminal cases at care homes
The care homes are linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) - a Muslim conglomerate.
SINGAPORE: Malaysian king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has ordered the police to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the criminal and abuse allegations at several care homes in the country linked to a Muslim conglomerate.
He expressed his serious concern over the issue following the various news reports on the care homes that are linked to the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB).
Last week, raids by Malaysian police on care homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan linked to GISB resulted in the rescue of 402 children who allegedly had been abused, some sexually.
On Tuesday, Sultan Ibrahim said that matters concerning the Islamic faith should be safeguarded and not be taken lightly.
“Therefore, (I) advise all parties not to issue any statements or extreme views in relation to religious issues because they are very sensitive and must be handled with care,” Sultan Ibrahim said in a Facebook post.
He stressed: “I want a thorough investigation to be conducted and immediate action to be taken.”
On Sep 11, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain announced that the children rescued from the care homes were aged between one and 17, comprising 201 boys and 201 girls.
The operation – codenamed Op Global – was carried out at 18 care homes in Selangor and two in Negeri Sembilan.
Following the operation, 171 people – aged between 17 and 64 which include caretakers as well as religious teachers among others – were arrested.
In an update on Tuesday, Bernama reported Mr Razarudin as saying that three investigation papers related to the operation will be submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers for further action.
The report added that the police will also apply for an extension of the suspects’ remand order to facilitate further investigations.
Additionally, the police chief said that the authorities have recorded the statements from 740 people, including 30 complainants, 216 witnesses, 392 victims as well as 102 suspects.
CLOSE TO 100 BANK ACCOUNTS FROZEN
Additionally, Mr Razarudin – the police chief – said that a total of 96 bank accounts linked to GISB worth over RM580,000 (US$135,000) have been frozen by the authorities.
Along with this, the authorities have also ordered for eight vehicles to be confiscated.
CNA had previously reported that GISB was established in 2010 and has assets totalling around RM325 million globally
The police chief on Tuesday added that the authorities may also call up GISB executive chairman and chief executive officer Nasiruddin Mohd Ali in due time, though he did not disclose a timeline for this.
Over the weekend, Mr Nasiruddin acknowledged in a video posted on the conglomerate’s Facebook page that there were “one or two” cases of sodomy at the care homes but denied other allegations of misconduct.
"Indeed, there were one or two cases of sodomy, but why lump them (the cases) all together?" he said.
Mr Nasirudin added: "I don't want to blame the laws. It's true we have done some wrongs in the eyes of the law but couldn't there be some advice or discussions first?"
When asked about the remarks, Mr Razarudin told the media that there was no need for the police to reach out to GISB prior to conducting their investigations.
“Let me ask you, do we hold a discussion prior to initiating an investigation?
“Although he mentioned that he has previously held discussions, but it was not with me, or (Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain), and I don’t know what was discussed,” Mr Razarudin said, according to the Malay Mail.