Civil society organisation Mandiri has condemned the arrest of its executive director Amir Hariri Abd Hadi and finance director Dobby Chew following questioning by police at Bukit Aman today in connection with an investigation under anti-money laundering laws.
In a statement, Mandiri said the two were detained after providing their statements to the Anti-Money Laundering unit of Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Chew is also the chief operating officer of Hayat, another civil society organisation.
Mandiri said it was informed by police that both individuals were detained under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).
The organisation questioned the decision to detain the two activists despite their continued cooperation with investigators.
According to Mandiri, Amir and Chew had previously attended Bukit Aman on Sept 14 and Sept 17 to seek clarification over the freezing of their personal and organisational bank accounts, as well as travel restrictions imposed on them.
The organisation said both had also cooperated during a police raid on the offices of Mandiri and Hayat on Sept 18, including handing over documents requested by investigators.
On Sept 21, police issued notices relating to the frozen accounts and instructed Amir and Chew to appear for questioning the following day.
Mandiri claimed the two again requested clarification on the predicate offence underlying the money laundering investigation but were not provided with an explanation.
Nevertheless, both proceeded to give their statements before being detained, the organisation said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Amir and Chew told reporters that they had yet to receive a clear explanation of the specific offence being investigated, despite the enforcement actions taken against them.
Mandiri alleged that the arrests formed part of continued pressure against the organisation and Hayat following their advocacy on corruption and abuse of power, including issues arising from allegations concerning a purported corporate mafia earlier this year.
The organisation also questioned what it described as inconsistent treatment of individuals under investigation, claiming that some political figures facing allegations involving substantial sums had not been subjected to similar detention measures.
The latest development follows earlier enforcement measures involving the two organisations. On Sept 14, Mandiri and Hayat announced plans to challenge the freezing of their bank accounts through legal channels after claiming they had not received adequate explanations from the authorities.
