Illegal to receive money more than your pay - Penang Mufti
SHAH ALAM - Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said it is illegal for one to receive money which is more than the salary fixed for the job.
He said the matter had been explained by Prophet Muhammad SAW through a hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
“In the hadith, the Prophet was reported saying that whoever we appoint to perform a job, we give a wage of a certain amount and if the money taken is more than what has been given, it is called illegal money,” he said when contacted by Sinar Harian on Friday.
He was commenting on the revelation made by former Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan who had received an allowance of RM30,000 per month sitting on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) advisory board despite not having to attend any company meetings.
Mohd Sidek had in his testimony in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial revealed that he was being paid the amount by the former prime minister when he was still working as the KSN at that time.
He said Najib had given him the allowance as the latter had felt that his income was low.
For the record, Mohd Sidek’s basic salary as KSN at that time was RM29,125 per month. He disclosed this in court.
He said he received the monthly allowance as 1MDB advisor from July 1, 2010 to June 23, 2012.
After his retirement, his service with 1MDB was extended until June 2015, but with an allowance of RM10,000 per month.
In the trial, when he was asked by the lawyer about his appointment, Mohd Sidek said Najib had put him in the compensated role in 1MDB out of “kindness”.
Wan Salim said, receiving remuneration especially when it came from the government was illegal.
He added that Muslims should not engage in dubious matters including issues related to remuneration.
He explained that if an individual was involved in such issues, they need to repent and return the money to the national treasury because the funds belonged to the government.
"If it is not possible (to return it to the government), as an alternative, they should give out the money for public interest such as giving money to the poor or through the court,” he said
Meanwhile, former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said he was of the view that Mohd Sidek should return the allowance money received during his tenure as the 1MDB advisory board member.
He said there was no reason for Mohd Sidek to take the money as he did not attend any of the 1MDB board meetings.
“When a person is appointed, there must be a task. So he will be paid based on the tasks performed.
"If we did not perform the task, then we should not take the money.
"If it was me, I would have returned the money back,” he told Sinar Harian.
Commenting further, Musa said the matter was a reflection of a person's integrity even though there are no specific legal provision requiring Mohd Sidek to return the money.
