Malaysia freezes accounts of Islamic group amid child abuse investigation

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Malaysian authorities have frozen nearly 100 bank accounts belonging to a conglomerate accused of running care homes where hundreds of children were abused, police said on Tuesday.

In what is believed to be the worst such incident in Malaysia in decades, police arrested 171 suspects, including religious teachers and caregivers, and evacuated more than 400 children after raiding 20 charity shelters.

The investigation focuses on the Global Ikhwan Service and Business (GISB) group, which has long been controversial because of its links to the now-defunct Al-Arqam sect.

On Tuesday, Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain said authorities had frozen 96 accounts linked to the group with a total volume of about $124,000.

“We have also seized eight vehicles associated with the company,” he said.

Immediately after the police raids, GISB initially denied the allegations and stated that it did not operate the searched nursing homes in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

But in a video posted on the company's Facebook page on Saturday, CEO Nasiruddin Ali acknowledged that there had been “one or two cases of sodomy” in the women's shelters, but denied allegations of widespread abuse.

Medical examinations have shown that at least 13 children have been sexually abused, Razarudin said last week.

The case has raised doubts about the health of children in care facilities and the regulation of non-profit organisations in Malaysia.

The company's website states that GISB is an Islamic company that operates businesses ranging from supermarkets to restaurants and operates in several countries, including Indonesia, France and the UK.

Police assume that the 402 minors in the care homes are all children of GISB members, Razarudin said.

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