Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki today denied any involvement in the alleged scandals concerning Yapeim. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki today denied any involvement in the alleged scandals concerning the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (Yapeim).

Asyraf in a statement said he was never involved in any management aspects of Yapeim or received any rewards from the foundation during his tenure as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs.

“For the record, the Yapeim issue was raised in Parliament and it was addressed because the agency was being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Department,” Asyraf said, sharing a YouTube clip of a November 2015 Parliament sitting where he spoke on the matter.

The former deputy minister had then proposed that a task force be formed to evaluate the management aspects of religious agencies, which would be known as the Religious Agencies Management Special Committee.

“This proposal was approved by (then) Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and had gotten the full support of the prime minister at the time, Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” Asyraf added.

He said the committee to manage Yapeim had comprised academics, high-ranking government officials, accountants, lawyers and the Pertubuhan Perbankan Islam Malaysia chief executive officer (CEO).

Following the committee’s formation, Asyraf said Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) had also issued a guideline on syariah-compliant management.

The committee had proposed that Yapeim be made the first agency to be corrected in terms of its management, which included the introduction of a new trust deed that is more comprehensive and in line with international management standards, he added.

According to Asyraf, the guideline’s importance was also stressed upon when the new minister and deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department took over last year.

“I have often stressed that these agencies must be seen as ‘whiter than white’, as the rakyat have high hopes and faith in religious-based institutions,” he said.

“If there are any parties who try to use such slander to prevent me from voicing out issues concerning the rakyat, then you are wrong,” Asyraf said, adding that he will continue to remain steadfast in highlighting the people’s issues.

According to a Bernama report, current Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Fuziah Salleh had confirmed that Yapeim’s books have been audited by leading accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.