Mandiri said it had never been involved in any organisation or planning, directly or indirectly, of demonstrations in Indonesia.

The group said it was prepared to cooperate with probes into such allegations, adding that Malaysian police already had access to its financial records and meeting details.

“These accusations are unfounded and appear to be an attempt to find a scapegoat for the failures of their own government,” said Mandiri executive director Amir Hadi in a statement.

The group was responding to reports circulating among Indonesian media and lawyers suggesting that it had acted as a foreign influence behind the protests.

Mandiri said it visited Jakarta in April as part of efforts to strengthen networks, meet with civil society organisations there and study regional issues.

The group said its Indonesian counterparts also made a return visit to Kuala Lumpur at the end of July and they engaged in similar activities.

“At no point was there any discussion about organising demonstrations, either in Malaysia or Indonesia,” it said.

It also denied allegations of any involvement or communication with Indonesian oil tycoon Riza Chalid, who is a suspect in a corruption case related to fuel imports and is believed to be in Malaysia.

Thousands of Indonesians held demonstrations in Jakarta and several major Indonesian cities last month, sparked by anger over lawmakers’ lavish perks. This was the worst unrest since President Prabowo Subianto took power less than a year ago.

Demonstrations began peacefully but turned violent after footage showed one of the nation’s elite paramilitary police teams running over a delivery driver.