Graft enforcers visit ministry to get documents in HRD Corp probe

PUTRAJAYA: Officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission have gone to the Human Resources Ministry to obtain documents in relation to their investigation into the Human Resource Development Corporation audit report.

It is learnt that a team of investigators arrived at the ministry around 11.20am on Tuesday (July 9) and left an hour later.

However, it is not known if they had taken away documents needed to assist their probe into the audit report.

The MACC is also expected to go to the HRD Corp office but there is no information whether investigators have already arrived.

On Saturday (July 6), the MACC confirmed that it had opened several investigation papers into the HRD Corp audit report and would be paying the ministry as well as the corporation a “visit” on Tuesday as part of the investigation.

MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya had said that based on the audit report submitted by the Human Resources Ministry, investigators have identified several issues which require documents and statements to be reviewed and scrutinised.

The commission, which had set up a task force to look into the audit report, had also identified individuals who would be called up for their statements to assist in the investigation.

On Friday (July 5), Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud submitted the audit report to the MACC, following the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee’s reports, which were tabled in Parliament on Thursday (July 4).

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Minister Steven Sim had instructed for the report to be made, in line with the recommendations of the Auditor-General.

Suspicious real estate deals and high-risk investments were some of the issues identified by the PAC in its report on HRD Corp.

One such deal was the purchase of Menara Ikhlas for RM202.5mil in Feb 2021 where a deposit of RM120mil was paid upfront to a company called Crystal Clear Technology.

HRD Corp chairman Datuk Abu Huraira Abu Yazid had acknowledged the shortcomings found in the audit reports, adding that the training fund had implemented several improvements, which helped increase levy collection over the years.

The statement, however, did not address findings that HRD Corp had invested levy collected from employers in several high-risk investments despite the training fund not being an investment institution.