K Murushwaran, who leads the group, said their claims were backed by evidence provided to them by four former special officers to Gopalakrishnan, a clerk and a resident in Tiram.

He said they had handed over this evidence to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and filed a police report in 2019.

“A probe into these complaints needs to be carried out immediately by the MACC or police. The investigation paper must be referred to the deputy public prosecutor for action,” Murushwaran said at a press conference today.

The NGOs alleged that Gopalakrishnan, the Johor PKR deputy chief, had made false claims using his special officers’ personal details, misappropriating and abusing state government funds, as well as being indirectly involved in gangsterism, among others.

When contacted by FMT, Gopalakrishnan, who is the incumbent for the Tiram seat in the upcoming Johor state elections, said these allegations were false and that he would hold a press conference soon to rebut them.

“They handed the matter over (to the MACC) in 2019 but until today I have yet to receive any call (from the anti-graft agency). This means that there’s no case,” he said.

Previously, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had apologised to Gopalakrishnan for undermining his work as the elected representative in the Tiram seat.

In a now-deleted Facebook posting, the Muar MP had said the Indian community in Ulu Tiram was unhappy with their elected representative. He had also accused the assemblyman of not looking after the people’s welfare and of being irresponsible.

In another posting later, Syed Saddiq admitted his mistake in having undermined the work and responsibilities of Gopalakrishnan, whom he described as his PKR “comrade”.

Gopalakrishnan was elected to the Tiram seat in the 2018 general election (GE14).