ALOR SETAR: The government will leave no stone unturned on its investigations into the activities of a meat cartel which had reportedly smuggled non-certified meat into the country and selling them as halal beef.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliamentary Affairs) Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the matter is already being investigated by a number of agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
"I was made to understand that the authorities have taken action to investigate and will leave no stone unturned.
"The investigation is carried out between the ministries involved, namely the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) and the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) as it involves halal certificates.
"The investigation is conducted based on the requirement of law. Should there be violations of laws, action will be taken by the law.
"Therefore, we will wait for the investigation report first," he said.
Takiyuddin said this after handing over donation cheques to Kedah non-governmental organisations and charity associations here today.
Commenting further, Takiyuddin, who is also the coordinating minister between the Federal government and the Kedah state government, said he believes that the meat cartel has become a big issue, hence the official announcement on the outcome of the investigation will be done by the relevant ministers.
Takiyuddin also did not rule out the possibility that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would announce the matter himself.
"I cannot comment any further as we are still waiting for the outcome of the investigation," he said.
On Tuesday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said the police believed that the activity involved a large network within the country and abroad.
So far, police have received 13 reports from the public nationwide on the issue.
On Dec 21, the New Straits Times reported that a meat cartel has been bribing senior government officers to bring non-certified meat into Malaysia and passing it off as halal-certified products.
It is believed that the cartel imports meat from non-halal certified slaughterhouses.
It is understood that the cartel has been in operations for more than 40 years.