Mandiri leaders question basis of police raid in money-laundering probe

Police officers from the anti-money-laundering unit conducted a raid on September 18 at a Petaling Jaya office jointly used by Mandiri and the NGO Hayat, bringing more than 20 officers. Amir, Mandiri’s executive director, said the officers justified the operation solely by referring to “suspicious funds,” a basis he contended does not meet the threshold for a criminal offence unless tied to illicit sources such as terrorism financing or illegal gambling.

He urged the investigating officer to specify the underlying predicate offence. Chew, Mandiri’s finance director, accompanied Amir and confirmed that both leaders have fully complied with the authorities, providing extensive financial documentation, including audit reports, tax filings, payroll records, a computer and a USB drive containing financial data. This investigation comes after recent enforcement steps that froze both personal and organisational bank accounts under anti-money-laundering laws and imposed travel bans preventing Amir and Chew from leaving the country.