Allegations of sexual assault and sodomy within the premises of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) are false, says its deputy director of administration Mokhtar Tajudin.
He brushed aside accusations about the group which came about following large-scale raids on charity homes linked to GISB.
“The liwat (sodomy) is completely false. We are an Islamic organisation; of course there will not be any such (sexual) acts,” he told mStar.
Mokhtar also dispelled talk that the children in the charity homes were neglected.
To him, it was unclear whether the homes raided by the police were operated by GISB or under the “guidance” of the group.
“This is because there were premises that were raided which were business premises…but only under the guidance of GISB.”
He said that GISB had cared about the welfare of its staff.
“We even provide vaccines,” he said.
Mokhtar said that the company is seeking legal help over the matter.
“Since this has entered the investigation process, we are in the midst of obtaining legal aid.
“For now, the police have not approached or called any of the company’s higher management. Of course, we will cooperate with the police,” he said.
He added that GISB would hold a “comprehensive” press conference to answer allegations against it.
“We will not be silent,” he said.
On Wednesday, 402 children between the ages of one and 17 were rescued in a large-scale operation at 20 care homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
According to information on its social media accounts and official webpage, the conglomerate has an annual turnover of RM187 million, with 5,346 staff under 25 subsidiaries.
Its subsidiaries operate in various sectors and include grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, poultry and meat suppliers, property developers, and travel agencies.
Besides owning hundreds of food and supermarket outlets, GISB owns a three-acre agrotourism resort, Wadi Berkat Dato Ibu Hudaibiyah, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and an estate that rears livestock in Sydney, Australia.
The company has expanded to 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand and Indonesia.
It has also spread out across Malaysia, with a corporate office in every state.
According to a corporate video on its website, GISB claims to have 3,658 “youth” employees and 1,698 “adult” workers.
The video added that it has 1,656 families in its business network, of which 1,232 are monogamous families, while the remaining 425 are polygamous families.
It was reported that the authorities are investigating whether GISB has ties to Al-Arqam, a Muslim group that was banned by the government in 1994, after its teachings were declared deviant.
Although GISB was founded by Ashaari Muhammad, the same person who started Al-Arqam, the company’s senior leaders have reportedly denied any links to the cult.