KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 ― Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (Yapeim) said it has almost identified the person responsible for leaking internal documents to an opposition-linked anti-graft group.

Its director, Datuk Abibullah Samsudin, told Malay daily Utusan Malaysia that it is “more than likely” that the informant was someone from the inside with help from “external elements”, but said the foundation will the matter to the police.

“If we say too much, it will disturb police investigation although we are also doing our own internal investigation to find out the source,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

“We are fairly sure that the informant is someone from the inside with the help of external elements”.

The PKR-linked National Oversight and Whistleblower (NOW) has been running a series of what it asserts are exposés on alleged abuses by Yapeim.

In its first few exposés, the group put the salaries and allowances paid to Yapeim’s chairman and deputy, a Wanita Umno leader, under the spotlight.

It then followed this up with revelations of the foundation’s various programmes abroad that have cost hundreds of thousands of ringgit, which NOW allege were questionable in nature.

Yesterday, the group added another claim to its growing list of allegations against the local charity foundation, this time accusing it and an orphanage under its watch of spending some RM170,000 for a trip to New York last year.

Yapeim has denied the allegations and said it will provide explanation to about 3,000 contributors of its “Amal Jariah” fund who have terminated their monthly subscription through salary deduction to the foundation.

Abibullah said Yapeim believed that it was only a temporary measure by the contributors concerned and that they would continue with their contribution after the allegation of misappropriation of funds hurled at the foundation was proven not true.