Go after Yapeim, not the whistleblower, C4 tells cops

Cynthia Gabriel, who heads the Centre to Combat Cronyism and Corruption, questions the police's pursuit of whistleblower Akmal Nasir for exposing alleged mismanagement of funds in Yapeim. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 26, 2015.

Police should halt investigations into whistleblower Akmal Nasir for exposing alleged misuse of funds in a government charity foundation, and instead focus on those he has accused, anti-corruption watchdog C4 said today.

C4, or the Centre to Combat Cronyism and Corruption, also called for a strict audit of the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (Yapeim) to ensure that no public funds were abused.

Its executive director Cynthia Gabriel said hard measures in the management of the foundation's monies were also needed to stop nepotism and cronyism.

Police reports were lodged against Akmal, who heads the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW), and he is now being investigated for obtaining classified documents.

Cynthia, however, said the documents had been certified as authentic by Yapeim's director Datuk Abibullah Samsudin.

"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," she said in a statement.

"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."

Cynthia said there was "no urgency" on the authorities' part to seek the truth or to probe the real culprits.

Instead, there was "urgency to silence critics, messengers and whistleblowers".

Yapeim is in the spotlight for various alleged misdeeds by its top leadership, including the appointment of its chairman and deputy chairman to multiple positions in the foundation and its subsidiaries which have allowed them to draw huge allowances.

The foundation has also been accused of spending hundreds of thousands on marriage and religious courses overseas, and for funding a New York trip for its minister in charge, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.

The foundation's chairman and deputy were said to have gone on leave pending investigations, but Jamil yesterday denied this.

C4 said police should focus on the alleged culprits and not Akmal to restore public confidence to the force.

It also urged parliamentarians to enact laws that protected whistleblowers from prosecution and to enact a national freedom of information act.

- TMI