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KUALA LUMPUR - Two individuals from non-governmental organisation (NGO) Mandiri were detained by police on Tuesday.
They are Mandiri Executive Director Amir Hariri Abdul Hadi and its Financial Director, Dobby Chew, to assist investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Police Headquarters' Commercial Crime Investigation Department's Anti-Money Laundering Investigation Team.
It is learnt that both individuals will be remanded on Wednesday at the Jinjang Lock-up, Kuala Lumpur.
The case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the AMLATFPUAA 2001.
Sinar is seeking further confirmation from the police.
Media had earlier reported a statement by Mandiri co-founder Mohammad Alshatri Abdullah that both individuals were detained after presenting themselves at a police station to give statements.
Both individuals had previously been barred from leaving the country and had their bank accounts frozen.
Tuesday's detentions cap weeks of escalating action against the pair.
On Sept 11, Amir Hariri confirmed his personal bank account had been frozen under the AMLATFPUAA 2001, saying at the time he had not been summoned by police and was not involved in any criminal activity.
Around the same period, he was barred from leaving the country and Dobby Chew's personal account was frozen too.
On Sept 18, more than 20 officers from police's anti-money laundering unit raided the Petaling Jaya office shared by Mandiri and Hayat, seizing bank statements, audit reports, tax documents, payroll and EPF records, a computer and a USB drive.
Both organisations claimed they cooperated fully but that the investigating officer could not explain the basis of the probe.
The scrutiny traces back to May, when PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim urged authorities to investigate Mandiri over reports it received RM1.5 million from the United States-based Tides Foundation between November 2024 and June 2025, amid allegations of foreign funding aimed at influencing Malaysian politics.
Mandiri has denied wrongdoing and described the campaign against it as intimidation.
