Those who claimed that officials of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) lack integrity in the halal certification process should not have made the allegation without evidence, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Fuziah Salleh.

She said the allegation was serious and could undermine the reputation of Jakim, which has taken care of all aspects of halal matters.

"Jakim maintains integrity in the matter involving the issuance of certificates and accreditation, which is part of its responsibility.

"However, if it is related to the development of the industry such as guiding entrepreneurs to obtain halal certificates, it is not under Jakim," she told reporters after launching Deepavali 2019 celebrations in Kuantan today.

Fuziah, who is also the Kuantan MP, said such allegations could have been made with bad intentions.

She urged the parties involved to present evidence to Jakim so that it could take legal action if necessary.

On Oct 10, an article entitled "Malaysia Halal Crisis" by Murray Hunter was published in the Asian Sentinel website claiming that Jakim staff had integrity and competency issues in the halal certification process.

The article, among other things, claimed that a Jakim officer had asked for payments for the purpose of registering meat processing premises, apart from being arrogant and unhelpful.

- Bernama