The CMI is a UK-based royal charity under the
patronage of HRH Princess Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh who is the
sister-in-law of King Charles III.
The royal charity has
become embroiled in multiple legal cases in Malaysia following an
investigation last year by the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry
(MOHE) that they are selling unaccredited certificates through 21 Malaysian universities.
Following
the probe, CMI were advised by MOHE to secure accreditation from the
Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) but have so far failed to show
proof of any form of formal MQA recognition.
CMI also face evidence of perjury and witness tampering
which has been declared by the High Court in Malaysia as relevant to a
RM17 million (US$4 million) defamation case against the CMI brought by
Dr Williams.
In March this year Zul Rafique lawyer,
Syafinaz Vani Abdullah was forced to take over the case after another
partner of Zul Rafique Idza Hajar recused herself following complaints
of malpractice, which she claims were instructed by the CMI.
The new evidence in emails written by the CMI Charity Secretary
Elaine McClean in May 2025, suggests that that Zul Rafique may be
continuing in potential malpractice through a conspiracy with CMI. These
emails went out to hundreds of people.
In her emails
McClean threatens that Zul Rafique would force the addressee (hidden for
his/her protection) to testify in court against Dr Williams and the
writer in claims that they had “defamed CMI at the CMI Malaysia AGM at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in October 2023.” The
addressee was instructed that CMI lawyer Zul Rafique intended to issue a
formal summons requiring the addressee to attend if they failed to
cooperate.
The emails also disclose that CMI has set up a
special committee including Zul Rafique to collaborate in a concerted
character assignation campaign among CMI members falsely claiming that
the writer and Dr Geoffrey Williams are conspiring to damage CMI’s
reputation.
This claim, based on a “belief” among the CMI and
their legal team, has not been supported by any evidence almost twelve
months since CMI commenced litigation on this issue at the High Court in
Shah Alam against Dr Williams and the writer.
However, the emails
from Elaine McClean demand evidence from the addressee which is
unrelated to the pleadings made in the CMI legal suit. These include
claims that the writer was involved in defaming the CMI at the October
2023 event, which the writer did not attend.
This is malicious
defamation against the writer, who had no connection with CMI until the
issue of their unaccredited certificates being sold in Malaysia was
exposed six months later in 2024. To date, CMI has never publicly
disputed the facts in a series of articles published by the writer,
despite an offer to allow them to respond to the revelations.
The
only purpose of the CMI emails appears to have been to destroy
reputations. The CMI letter appears to have been sent to hundreds of
people as a deliberate campaign of reputation destruction and to force
people to testify under duress on matters so long ago, it would be
difficult for them to recollect.
Such actions by CMI and Zul
Rafique amount to conspiracy and an abuse of the legal system to destroy
the reputations of others for profit. This is certainly conduct
unbecoming of CMI who present themselves as a professional body in
management and leadership standards.
Zul Rafique as a licensed law
practice in Malaysia also appears to be encouraging their client to
break the law and abuse the court system. In doing so Zul Rafique has
crossed a professional line and has become a party to the cases against
CMI and could be held responsible for criminal actions of their client.
