Allegations over halal certs taken seriously, says deputy minister

The government says the identities of whistleblowers in cases of halal certification will be kept confidential.

KUANTAN: Allegations of misconduct in the issuance of halal certificates are being taken seriously by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Fuziah Salleh said.

She said the department would investigate all complaints.

“There will be no compromise on misconduct by staff in issuing halal certificates.

“Anyone can come forward to provide us with information. The identity of the whistleblower will be kept confidential as we want to maintain Jakim’s integrity,” she told reporters after opening the 3R Rahmah Expo here today.

Fuziah was commenting on a recent article titled “Jakim’s halal crisis deepens” by Murray Hunter on the Asian Sentinel website, which claimed that the department had not been serious in its investigations into misconduct, and people were afraid to come forward.

She also questioned the integrity of the website as, according to her, the Asian Sentinel offices in Canada and Hong Kong had closed. - FMT