KUALA LUMPUR – The Home Ministry said there were no records of terrorism activities involving the three leaders of the Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Malaysia who are listed in the United States’ Terrorist Screening Centre (TSC) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said they were among the total of 359 individuals from 53 NGOs involved in Op Ihsan, which oversees the delivery of humanitarian aid from Malaysia to Palestinians in Gaza.
“We have screened all of them. Based on our records, none of them are involved in any terrorist activities. The matter (on the three individuals) is only recorded by the FBI,” he told a press conference today.
Saifuddin explained that the US authorities were currently clamping down on funding for Hamas in Gaza, which is why they had flagged certain individuals who are suspected to be involved with channelling money to the militant group.
“This emphasis is important to assure (all parties) that we as a country that is independent and sovereign, have our own laws, and we have agencies that monitor security,” Saifuddin said.
“We also have a record for being competent in conducting screenings.”
On Tuesday, Saifuddin said he had contacted Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain regarding the matter.
It was reported that the Foreign Ministry had instructed the three individuals on the list to no longer be involved with Op Ihsan.
Op Ihsan secretariat chairman Jismi Johari previously confirmed the validity of the notification letter he received from the Foreign Ministry.
The three Malaysians included Aman Palestin Bhd’s CEO, Awang Suffian Awang Piut, as well as Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam’s Abu Bakar Abdul and Persatuan Cinta Syria Malaysia’s Ahmad Musa Al Nuwayri Kamaruzaman.
The organisations are often involved in sending aid to the Middle East.
Jismi said the trio is not directly involved with Op Ihsan, only their organisations are among those supporting the initiative.
He said he received the letter from Wisma Putra’s West Asia division via email on February 15.
On the same day, Awang Suffian and Aman Palestin executive director Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman pleaded not guilty to 52 identical criminal breach of trust charges involving the same RM20.94 million worth of Aman Palestin-owned assets in the form of cash.
The duo also maintained their innocence when jointly charged with 19 counts of cheating by allegedly marking up the prices of gold bars sold to Aman Palestin.
The pair is accused of dishonestly increasing the cost of the material by RM5.75 million throughout multiple transactions between September 2021 and July 2023.
They also claimed trial when charged with 19 separate counts of identical money laundering charges involving RM12.8 million in funds. – February 21, 2024