Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and several non-governmental organisations lodged a police report today on the meat cartel scandal.
Representing the group, Lembah Pantai member of parliament Fahmi Fadzil said police should leave no stone unturned on the issue which was reported widely by news agencies last year.
“They must investigate to find the mastermind behind the cartel and drag them to court.
“The issue has dented the integrity and public perception towards halal certification,” he said after lodging the report today.
He urged the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) to reveal the companies involved in the meat cartel.
He also said the products seized by the enforcement teams from the companies involved should be made public as well.
“This is so the public can avoid buying it again and those who bought it can dispose of it the soonest,” he added.
New Straits Times reported that senior officers from no fewer than four government agencies were believed to be working hand-in-glove with a cartel specialising in bringing non-certified meat into Malaysia and passing it off as halal-certified products.
These senior officers, entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that halal standards were upheld, had instead received money, and in some cases even women for sex, as bribes in order to turn a blind eye to the cartel’s operations and ensure that the activities go undetected.
It is understood that the cartel had been in operation for more than 40 years.
A number of parties have called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be established to investigate the meat cartel operation following a series of news reports.
Fahmi said that those involved in exposing the cartel operation must be protected under the Whistleblower’s Protection Act 2010. – NST
Related reports:
Jan 5, Meat cartel: MACC not ruling out involvement of reputable companies
Jan 4, Local butchers say suspected existence of purported cartel for years, but authorities stayed silent
Jan 4, MACC nabs four suspects in connection with meat cartel scandal