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Family members in government-linked foundation earn RM80,000 a month, says anti-graft group

A charity foundation under the Prime Minister's Department is again under the spotlight of an anti-graft whistleblower group for giving its top office bearers multiple positions, enabling them to earn huge amounts in allowances. A family of three, where the wife held seven posts; the son six directorships and the husband a fellowship, took home RM81,700 a month, the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) said today. NOW director Akmal Nasir said the woman, who is the deputy chairman of the board of trustees, was also its deputy president, held seven positions in total earning her RM45,500 a month. One of these positions was as chairman of the foundation's audit committee. Her son also held six director positions in several of the foundation's subsidiaries, earning RM31,200 a month, while her husband was appointed as a fellow who received RM5,000 a month. This meant the family of three earned RM81,700 a month, Akmal told the press. He also produced copies of the allowance statements, the foundation's organisational chart and appointment letters to the office bearers at the press conference in Kuala Lumpur today. "This information was from last year. This year there may even be an increase. "This is evidence obtained from the monthly allowance letters and yearly income statements," Akmal told reporters. The chairman of the foundation's board of trustees, meanwhile, earned a total of RM73,000 a month, also from being its president, in addition to having ten other positions on panels, committees and subsidiaries of the foundation. The foundation is under the oversight of the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom. The minister has not responded to calls and messages from The Malaysian Insider on the matter. "This is an institution under the Prime Minister's Department. Datuk Seri Jamil Khir should come forward to explain how this could happen under his watch," Akmal said. NOW has been exposing alleged corruption by this particular government-linked foundation which received public donations as well as government grants. Earlier this week, NOW revealed the foundation's involvement in channelling RM223,000 supposedly for community programmes in the Rompin by-election in May this year, that instead went to a Kelantan Wanita Umno leader. The Wanita Umno leader has also been under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for misappropriating flood relief funds held in trust by the same foundation for flood victims in Kelantan. – November 11, 2015.