KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 ― Dr Syed Omar Syed Agil, who was suspended as CEO of the Baitulmal Professional Institute (IPB) last October, has accused IPB officials of corruption over the Islamic college's RM10 million debt recorded in 2014.
Syed Omar said according to the college’s financial report, IPB's debt doubled from RM4.8 million in 2012 to RM10 million in 2014, but he could not obtain the names of the debtors, dates, and other details despite making numerous requests to an IPB official.
He alleged that the high increase of debt was most likely due to the approval of false claims.
“I’m making this police report so that PDRM will investigate more carefully the mismanagement and criminal breach of trust that have been happening since 2012 until after 2014,” Syed Omar said in his police report that was sighted by Malay Mail Online, using the Malay initials for the Malaysian police force.
The report containing his accusations against IPB was lodged here on September 1 last year.
The CEO of the private higher education institution that is 70 per cent owned by the Federal Territories Islamic Council (MAIWP) also accused IPB of overpaying taxes by RM605,000 in 2014.
He said the tax consultant worked out the taxes to be paid was just RM295,000 but instead it was later changed to RM900,000 by an IPB official, a clear difference of RM605,000.
“This shows that the payment of taxes was unreasonable because the payment exceeded what was ordered by LHDN,” Syed Omar said, using the Malay initials for the Inland Revenue Board.
Syed Omar also questioned why IPB's fixed deposits dropped in 2012 from RM10.2 million to RM9.9 million and dipped even further to RM7.4 million in 2014, even though the Islamic college made a RM3.5 million profit in 2013.
The suspended CEO further alleged that a top MAIWP official had ordered IPB company auditors to send a clean report, or “Unqualified Report”, to the National Audit Department in 2014, which he said was markedly different from the Qualified Report that the company auditors had prepared earlier.
“This shows there was mismanagement and suspicious activities done,” he added.
Syed Omar, who started serving as IPB CEO from September 2, 2014, claimed that many cheques, including one for the liquidation of a RM1 million deposit in November 2014, were signed without his knowledge or approval.
He also alleged that IPB's two previous CEOs were terminated on shaky grounds and that the Islamic tertiary education institution was forced to pay compensation.
Besides lodging the police report that is now being investigated under Section 409 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust by a public servant, Syed Omar also sent a letter containing the same allegations on August 14 last year to the MACC.
Syed Omar won yesterday a temporary injunction at the High Court here against his suspension from IPB whom he accused of acting against him for whistleblowing on the alleged financial mismanagement.
In his police report, he named two high-ranking IPB officials and a top MAIWP official as suspects in the alleged criminal breach of trust.
Malay Mail Online attempted to seek a response from MAIWP CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Jaffar on Syed Omar’s allegations.
Zainal declined to comment, according to MAIWP corporate communications officer Wan Ahmad Fadhli Shah Wan Mohd Zain, who told Malay Mail Online that the matter had been brought to court and that it would be “inappropriate” for MAIWP to comment.
However, the only court proceedings taking place are Syed Omar's application for an injunction against his suspension, not about the financial mismanagement allegations he made in the police and MACC reports.
IPB chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Ibrahim was also contacted, but declined to comment, saying, “I know what you are going to ask me,” and repeated “sorry, no comment” before Malay Mail Online could ask the question.
