Anwar says company losses are not a crime — fraud, abuse and ‘sakau’ are another matter

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasized that companies should not be penalized for financial losses unless fraud, abuse of power, or theft are involved.

Addressing concerns about UiTM Holdings and the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on Lembaga Tabung Haji, Anwar called for diligence in investigation and highlighted that any actions should be based on solid findings, not revenge.

He assured that the relevant authorities handle investigations, with no premature judgments on unresolved loss reports or scrutiny such as in the Federal Land Development Authority cases.

SHAH ALAM, Sept 26 — Companies should not be penalised simply because they make losses, but action should be taken where there is fraud, abuse of power or “ sakau ”, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

Speaking after addressing issues including the scrutiny of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), Anwar said companies could go through periods of losses as well as profits, and that losses alone should not be grounds for punishment.

“We don’t ‘ hukum ’ (punish) people because a company makes losses. We ‘ hukum ’ because there is fraud, there is abuse of power, there is ‘ sakau ’ (stealing), not because of losses,” he said during a question-and-answer session with Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) alumni and students at UiTM’s Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor here.

Turning to UiTM Holdings Sdn Bhd, Anwar cautioned against passing judgment before its position had been properly examined.

“Now study UiTM Holdings, don’t ‘ hukum ’ (pass judgment) now,” he said, adding that any weaknesses should first be identified and improved, but action should be taken if abuses were found.

Earlier, a member of the audience asked Anwar whether he could direct the Higher Education Ministry or UiTM alumni to produce a report on UiTM Holdings, which the questioner claimed had accumulated more than RM100 million in unresolved losses.

Anwar indicated that the Higher Education Ministry would be involved, adding that the Prime Minister’s Department would cooperate. He also thanked UiTM’s vice-chancellor for giving full cooperation over the UiTM Holdings issue.

During the dialogue, Anwar also addressed the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on TH, saying it had been completed before he became prime minister in 2022 amid questions over why it was only released this year.

He said the report’s release had been delayed after TH’s leadership asked for more time, amid concerns that depositors could withdraw their savings if it was made public earlier.

Anwar rejected suggestions that the report had been released as an act of “revenge”, saying decisions over investigations, prosecutions and judgments rested with the relevant authorities.

“I don’t know who is being investigated, whether they will be charged or whether action will be taken. The investigation is handled by investigating bodies — the police, the Inland Revenue Board, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission; deciding whether to charge is under the attorney general, and judges make the decisions.

“But to say we are acting out of ‘ dendam ’ (revenge), that’s not true,” he said.

Anwar also said issues involving the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), which is currently under scrutiny, predated his tenure as prime minister.

He said he was particularly strict about governance at Bumiputera agencies, which he said should set an example not only for Muslims but for society as a whole.

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首相拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣强调，除非涉及欺诈、滥用职权或盗窃，否则不应因财务损失而惩罚公司。

针对有关 UiTM Holdings 和 Lembaga Tabung Haji 皇家调查委员会报告的担忧，安华呼吁认真调查，并强调任何行动都应基于可靠的调查结果，而不是报复。

他保证有关当局会处理调查，不会对尚未解决的损失报告或审查做出过早的判断，就像联邦土地开发局的案件那样。

莎阿南，9月26日讯——首相拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣今日表示，不应仅仅因为公司亏损就对其进行处罚，但如果存在欺诈、滥用职权或“sakau”（非法酿酒）等行为，则应采取行动。

安华在谈到包括朝圣基金局（TH）审查在内的问题后表示，公司可能会经历亏损期，也可能经历盈利期，单凭亏损本身不应成为惩罚的理由。

“我们不会因为公司亏损就‘惩罚’人们。我们‘惩罚’是因为存在欺诈、滥用职权、‘偷窃’，而不是因为亏损，”他在与玛拉工艺大学（UiTM）校友和学生在UiTM的端姑校长礼堂举行的问答环节中说道。

安华转而谈到 UiTM Holdings Sdn Bhd，告诫人们在对其立场进行适当审查之前不要妄下结论。

“现在应该先研究 UiTM Holdings，不要妄下断言，”他说道，并补充说，任何弱点都应该首先被发现并改进，但如果发现滥用行为，则应该采取行动。

早些时候，一位观众问安华，他是否可以指示高等教育部或马来西亚工艺大学校友就马来西亚工艺大学控股公司出具一份报告，提问者声称该公司累计未解决的损失超过1亿令吉。

安华表示高等教育部将介入此事，并补充说首相署也会予以配合。他还感谢马来西亚工艺大学（UiTM）副校长在UiTM控股公司问题上给予的全力配合。

在对话中，安华还谈到了关于TH的皇家调查委员会（RCI）报告，称该报告在他2022年就任总理之前就已经完成，但有人质疑为什么该报告直到今年才公布。

他表示，由于担心如果报告过早公开，储户可能会提取存款，TH领导层要求更多时间，因此报告的发布被推迟了。

安华驳斥了有关该报告是出于“报复”目的而发布的猜测，称调查、起诉和判决的决定权在于相关部门。

“我不知道谁正在接受调查，他们是否会被起诉，或者是否会采取行动。调查由调查机构负责——警方、内陆税收局、马来西亚反贪污委员会；是否起诉由总检察长决定，最终由法官做出决定。”

“但要说我们是为了‘复仇’而行动，那就不是事实了，”他说。

安华还表示，目前正受到审查的联邦土地发展局（Felda）相关问题，早在他就任总理之前就已存在。

他表示，他对土著机构的管理尤为严格，他认为这些机构不仅应该为穆斯林树立榜样，也应该为整个社会树立榜样。

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