BFM starts probe into harassment claims

PETALING JAYA: BFM89.9 has begun formal investigations into allegations of sexual harassment at the radio station.

Some of the employees involved have also taken leave of absence, the radio station’s founder Malek Ali said in a statement on its Facebook page.

He said an independent party would be assigned to help conduct an impartial investigation.

“As the formal investigative process is under way, there are restrictions on what we can announce during the proceedings,” he said.

Malek said the station did not want to make statements that might compromise the investigation and cause further distress to its staff until more information had been gathered.

“Our first priority is and always has been the welfare of our employees,” he said.

“We take any and all allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct seriously.”

The allegations surfaced through a circulated email of alleged sexual harassment at the radio station involving its employees.

The email, written by a former employee, alleged that the management had not looked into these harassment claims seriously.

Malek said the company was committed to providing a safe environment “in which all members of our community can work without fear and threat of sexual harassment”.

He said that as an extra precaution, the radio station was reviewing its reporting mechanism to ensure availability of safe channels for such serious matters to be dealt with.