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

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.