Ninth member of Malaysian cult-linked group charged in child sex abuse scandal

The group, accused of running shelters where children were abused, faces a widening probe, including the freezing of numerous bank accounts

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A member of Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISB) covers his face as he is escorted by police officers after being charged at a court in Putrajaya, Malaysia on September 18. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:08pm, 18 Sep 2024Updated: 3:12pm, 18 Sep 2024

A ninth alleged member of a cult-linked group under investigation over allegations of child sex abuse was charged on Wednesday with witness intimidation, after Malaysian authorities froze numerous bank accounts as part of a widening probe into what is being described as the largest scandal of its kind in memory.

Last week, Malaysian police rescued 402 boys and girls, aged between one and 17, from welfare homes allegedly run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, where the children were allegedly victims of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their caretakers.

GISBH denies the allegations, stating last week that it did not manage the shelters and that it is a victim of a campaign by unnamed parties with an “agenda to bring down the image” of its business.

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Mohamad Riza Makar, 39, with criminal intimidation for allegedly issuing threats against a woman who filed a police report against GISBH.

According to the charge sheet seen by This Week in Asia, Mohamad Riza was accused of telling the whistle-blower, “We know where your house, husband, and family are” after she refused to retract her police report.