KUALA LUMPUR – Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has urged all parties to refrain from making premature judgements on the irregularities found in the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp), for instance referring to them as “embezzlement.”
Fahmi, who also serves as the government spokesman, stated that the issue will be debated in the Dewan Rakyat, and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim will address questions related to this matter there.
“We (the government) do not have complete information about HRD Corp as previously mentioned (that it could be a misappropriation of funds).
“We need to conduct research first and allow space for the lawmakers to debate it, and for the HR Minister to respond to their questions in Parliament.
“It is not the time for us to classify it as a scandal,” he said at his ministry’s press conference in Putrajaya today.
Earlier today, Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud and HRD Corp chief executive officer Datuk Shahul Dawood submitted a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at their headquarters in Putrajaya regarding issues highlighted in the Auditor-General’s Report, which was tabled in Parliament yesterday.
In the report handed over to the graft busters, Khairul stated that the submission is in line with the auditor-general’s recommendation for the ministry to refer the audit findings to the relevant enforcement agencies.
Following this, Khairul held a press conference, confirming that no officers linked to HRD Corp have been suspended following the release of the Auditor-General’s Report 2/2024, which highlighted issues with the government-linked entity.
He said such suspensions are unnecessary as the concerns raised in the report are currently being reviewed by the MACC.
According to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee report, HRD Corp used a total of RM3.77 billion in levies collected from employers for training development programmes to make investments worth RM3.84 billion at market value as of March 2024.
Additionally, the corporation failed to report its investment activities to its board of directors, and its investment panel has not included a representative from Bank Negara Malaysia since 2017 – a violation of the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Bhd Act 2001. – July 5, 2024