PUTRAJAYA: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has defended the police in their handling of the children rescued from welfare homes linked with Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings.
He said police followed set procedures and there was due process in the investigation.
"Some of the children were separated when they were still babies. However now, after they were rescued, you wish to take them (referring to the parents and guardians)," Saifuddin said in a media briefing at the ministry today.
It was reported that a group of lawyers is considering legal action against the government over alleged misconduct involving children rescued from charity homes run by GISB.
They claimed separations between the children and their parents had occurred outside the boundaries of legal protocol, including those outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Police rescued 402 minors from alleged exploitation in a major operation, codenamed Op Global, across two states recently. The victims, aged between 1 and 17, were allegedly exploited at 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
GISB has since denied the allegations and has threatened legal action against those who defamed the company.