THE government has not ruled out setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations of a corporate mafia operating in Malaysia, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic).
The Home Minister said the proposal would be assessed based on its merits, provided there were sufficient grounds and concrete evidence to warrant a more comprehensive investigation.
“The government does not rule out the need for an RCI if there are clear grounds and justification for a more comprehensive investigation, supported by concrete facts,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka).
Khoo had asked about the progress of probes into the alleged corporate mafia, whether those believed to be its masterminds would be brought to court, and the government’s willingness to establish an RCI.
The allegations involved claims that enforcement agencies had abused their powers to pressure businessmen into selling company shares at artificially low prices, allegedly to facilitate corporate takeovers, he said.
He said Bukit Aman’s Anti-Money Laundering Investigation Team launched Op Viking on Oct 14 last year, based on intelligence and information related to suspected money laundering activities.
Police subsequently arrested several individuals and froze or seized various assets believed to be linked to the activities under investigation, he added.
“As of Sept 25, 2026, a total of 70 individuals had been called in to have their statements recorded,” he said.
Saifuddin said the investigation also resulted in the freezing or seizure of eight properties, 11 vehicles, 417 Central Depository System (CDS) accounts and 70 share-trading accounts involving approximately RM323.59mil.
Another 404 bank accounts containing approximately RM85.62mil were also subjected to freezing or seizure measures, he added.
However, Saifuddin did not specify whether individuals identified as the alleged masterminds would face prosecution.
He said appropriate legal action would be taken against those involved, regardless of their position or background, without fear or favour.
In a separate written reply to Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan), Saifuddin said 18,213 people fell victim to financial scams between 2016 and August this year, suffering combined losses of RM1.23bil.
Police records showed that 1,754 charges had been brought in connection with such offences during the same period, he said.
He added that RM14.01mil had been returned to victims between the launch of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) on Oct 12, 2022, and August this year.
Saifuddin also said efforts were being stepped up to promote the use of the SemakMule Portal, which recorded more than 77 million visits as of September 2026, reflecting growing public awareness of the importance of conducting checks as a preventive measure.
In another written parliamentary reply to Datuk Dr Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa), Saifuddin said India had not submitted a fresh request for the extradition of Dr Zakir Naik, despite having sought a reconsideration of the matter in 2020.
He added that Malaysia had decided not to extradite Zakir to India, citing its rights under Article 6 of the Extradition Treaty signed with India in 2010, as well as provisions of the Extradition Act.
