The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) yesterday named key people leading the investigation into allegations of questionable halal certification practices, after the council received submissions from members of the public about the matter. This follows calls online for more transparency in the investigation.
Muis said that a team at the council investigating the matter is being led by its deputy chief executive, Dr Albakri Ahmad.
The investigation team comprises officers who are not involved in Muis' Halal Unit or its matters, and reports directly to its chief executive Esa Masood. In addition, an independent review panel chaired by Mr Abdul Hamid Abdullah, a Muis council member and retired audit director from the Auditor-General's Office, will review the process and findings of the investigation.
While the team and investigation were first announced on May 29, this is the first time that the leader of the investigation team and the review panel chair have been named.
Yesterday, Muis thanked all individuals who submitted information related to the case. It will review the submissions, which it accepted from May 29 to June 15, and provide an update after investigating.
Since April, Muis has made several public statements in response to allegations by Hong Kong-based news outlet Asia Sentinel that the council showed favouritism in its recognition of foreign halal certification bodies (FCBs). Since then, other articles have been repeating and furthering the accusations.
FCBs are organisations Muis deems to have similar standards to its own halal certification system, and whose products imported into Singapore are certified as halal, or fit for the consumption of Muslims.
In April, Asia Sentinel alleged that the assistant director of the council's Halal Certification Strategic Unit, Mr Munir Hussain, is being investigated for corruption by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), a claim a CPIB spokesman would not confirm or deny, citing confidentiality issues.
According to Asia Sentinel, Mr Munir had caused Muis' delisting of a certifying body in Australia as an FCB, although it did not specify how this was done. It also alleged that Mr Munir had interfered with and undermined the Australian body's attempt to be recertified as an FCB.
Muis has said that key decisions on halal certification are not made by one person, but by an independent panel and that the certification of FCBs are held to the same rigorous standards as local certification processes. The council had previously said that it has not been approached by the CPIB in connection with any investigations, refuting allegations published in different foreign media.
Yesterday, Muis said that Mr Munir is not part of its investigation team and is also currently not involved in handling matters related to the recognition of FCBs while the investigation is being done.
Muis also reiterated that it stands by its robust halal certification process.
The council urged the public not to speculate on or spread unproven allegations as they are "unnecessary and counter-productive".
