IOI Corporation Berhad (IOI) refer to a letter from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to a Mr. Andy Hall, Migrant Worker Rights Specialist, dated 26 May 2021 which has been circulated among certain parties.

IOI have taken note of the contents of the letter which acknowledges the receipt of a petition providing information on alleged forced labour conditions at IOI in Malaysia, and that CBP has determined the information is sufficient to investigate the merits of the allegation.

As at the date of this statement, IOI have not been contacted by CBP with regard to their investigation. Nevertheless, IOI will take the proactive step in contacting CBP to confirm the existence of an investigation and offer our co-operation in providing explanation and documents to assist the investigation.

Being a founding member of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and among the first Malaysian companies to announce a zero recruitment fees policy – where workers do not have to pay any fees or flight charges to join the company, for all our migrant workers in year 2017, IOI is well aware of the importance of our workers’ rights and working conditions, as well as the requirement to adhere to Malaysian labour laws and international labour standards.

We have been working with a number of local and international labour rights experts and NGOs during the last five years to monitor the implementation of our labour policies, and provide recommendations on improving our labour policies, practices and conditions in our plantations. We recognise that this is an ongoing process and will endeavor to achieve our objective of being an exemplary company in this area.