SEREMBAN: Police have launched a probe for a possible criminal breach of trust following allegations of misappropriation of tithes by certain individuals in the Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Council (Mains).
State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Ahmad Dzaffir Mohd Yussof said the investigation paper will be forwarded to the deputy public prosecutor once the probe is completed.
"We are in the midst of probing the allegations and once this is done, we will forward it to the DPP's office for further action," he said.
DCP Ahmad Dzaffir, however, refused to comment when asked how many individuals had been called in for questioning as the matter was still being probed.
The case is being investigated under Section 409 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to 20 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
He also appealed to the public to not speculate on the case as investigations were ongoing.
The allegations, which went viral on social media several weeks ago, claimed that a substantial amount of zakat money had been misappropriated by certain individuals in the council.
On Feb 13, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it would re-investigate the allegations.
Its senior director of investigations Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim said although the matter was probed in 2019, it would review the evidence that it has.
Following this, Mains chairman Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Aziz Syeikh Ab Kadir said it would give its full cooperation to the authorities on the matter.
Mains, he said, would not compromise on any form of misappropriation of zakat money.
He said the outcome of the investigation was important to clean Mains' image and restore the confidence of Muslims with regard to the management of tithes in the state.
On Feb 9, the state MACC confirmed that it had probed Mains four years ago but found no alleged misuse of tithes.
