NGO activist welcomes probe, denies sexual assault claims
A prominent NGO activist who was accused of sexual assault has denied the claims and welcomed a police probe into the matter.
Describing the allegations as baseless and malicious, the activist said he could not comment further on the police report lodged by a trainee doctor who claimed he was sexually assaulted last year.
Since the trainee doctor's report was made public...
A prominent NGO activist who was accused of sexual assault has denied the claims and welcomed a police probe into the matter.
Describing the allegations as baseless and malicious, the activist said he could not comment further on the police report lodged by a trainee doctor who claimed he was sexually assaulted last year.
Since the trainee doctor's report was made public, other individuals came forward alleging the activist had molested them since as far back as 2014.
"Since there appears to be a police report on the matter, I cannot comment on this," he said when asked to respond to several accounts of alleged sexual assault incidents.
"But I welcome any investigation because it will be an opportunity for me to clear my name.
"I want to say I categorically denied this malicious accusation.
"This baseless accusation was done by none other than 'xxx' who had an axe to grind with me," said the activist, who claimed that his accuser was seeking revenge after losing a civil suit.
A police source yesterday confirmed with Malaysiakini that an investigation has been ongoing but declined to reveal details, including the number of statements that have been recorded.
Malaysiakini is withholding the name of the activist as the case has not been brought to court and to protect the identities of the complainants.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, one of the complainants described the activist as a fatherly figure whose purported show of affection gradually grew more disturbing.
"I drove him around, and he would insist on sitting in front. As we talked, his hand would caress my thigh and stroke my leg.
"I know what happened to me might not be as bad as the others," the complainant added.
He said he eventually lodged a police report against the activist following an undisclosed dispute which led to his resignation from the NGO.
However, he claimed to have been advised by a police officer at the time to omit the sexual assault claims as those would be "difficult to prove".
Since then, the complainant said he tried to move on with hope for justice to be served.
Separately, another former staff who worked at the NGO for two years said he did not experience anything untoward involving the activist.
He said he did not hear of any such incidents, but also that he had resigned for at least two years before the individuals who alleged they were sexually assaulted joined the organisation.
"I am not saying the allegations did not happen but it never happened to me.
"If there were such incidents during my time there, I'm sure it would have been raised and discussed among us," he said.
The former staffer said his decision to leave was made following a personal disagreement with the views taken by the organisation on certain issues.
Since his departure, the former staff said he had cut ties with the organisation, only to be alerted of the claims by friends and media who reached out to seek his comments.
In an immediate response, the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) issued a statement yesterday urging the NGO to conduct an internal investigation.
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