Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, Then you should check their activities and have people report on them, who should be truthful and faithful, because your watching their actions secretly will urge them to preserve trust with and be kind to the people. Be careful of assistants. If any one of them extends his hands towards misappropriation and the reports of your reporters reaching you confirm it, they should be regarded as enough evidence. You should then inflict corporal punishment on him and recover what he has misappropriated. You should put him in a place of disgrace, blacklist him with [the charge of] misappropriation and make him wear the necklace of shame for his offence.