Malaysian independent business and current affairs-oriented radio station BFM 89.9 has fired two employees after an anonymous email from a former employee accusing them of sexual misconduct surfaced last month and went viral.

The decision was taken after an independent investigating committee, comprising independent lawyers, submitted its report to a board panel comprising current and former non-executive independent directors of BFM.

“In respect of the allegations of sexual harassment, both employees have been served termination letters for misconduct,” BFM founder Malek Ali said in a statement.

He said that the management team was first made aware of the allegation in May 2017. 

“Immediately upon receiving the complaint, BFM’s management team commenced an investigation and took the highest form of disciplinary action by terminating the employment of the accused employee. 

“The BFM management team did not make a police report, as the complainant did not wish to escalate the matter at that time,” he said in a statement.

The BFM management team acknowledges that more could have been done to proactively gather evidence so that such misconduct could have been addressed in a more timely manner.

Malik added that based on the recommendations of the board, the management team is committed to improving its structure for employees to report any grievances they may have. 

“Complaints will be handled impartially, and it is our intention to have this structure in place within four weeks,” he said, adding that a review of BFM's existing internal policies and guidelines is also underway.