KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) today refuted information which has been circulated through the Whatsapp application that EPF savings belonging to members with beneficiaries below the age of 18 upon their death would automatically be channelled to Amanah Raya Berhad.

In a statement issued by its Corporate Affairs Department, EPF said the information on the EPF nomination that had gone viral was not true.

It said in a death involving Muslim members, the nominees named acted only as administrators, whereby they are responsible to distribute the savings, which has become inheritance, according to the Islamic inheritance law (Faraid).

"According to the law, the nomination does not take effect if at the time of the member’s death, the nominees are below the age of 18 because they are not eligible to act as administrators of the estate.

"However, this does not mean a member’s child who is below 18 years of age who name is registered as a nominee, has no right over the saving,” it said.

According to EPF, disbursement of savings belonging to deceased members would be processed as if there was no nominees based on the distribution according to Faraid or the Letter of Administration which had been unduly submitted to the fund.

For the non-Muslims, the nominees are the absolute beneficiaries or recipients of the savings, regardless of their age, it said.

For any inquiries, the public can surf the EPF website at www.kwsp.gov.my or contact its Customer Management Centre at 03 8922 6000. — Bernama