MACC summons 10 individuals in HRD Corp audit investigation

PUTRAJAYA: Graft investigators have summoned 10 individuals for their statements in connection with their investigation into the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) audit report.

Bernama reported on Thursday (July 11) that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) senior director of investigation, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim, said the people called were staff of the corporation and the Human Resources Ministry.

The commission had previously said it would call witnesses to assist in its investigation.

The MACC, which received a report on the HRD Corp audit, said several investigation papers had been opened, and a task force had been set up to scrutinise the report.

On Tuesday (July 9), investigators obtained documents at the ministry and the corporation’s headquarters in Bukit Damansara.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim had instructed for a report to be made with the MACC, following the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee’s reports, which were tabled in Parliament last week.

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 February 2021, for which a deposit of RM120mil was paid upfront to a company called Crystal Clear Technology.

HRD Corp chairman Datuk Abu Huraira Abu Yazid 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 levies collected from employers on several high-risk investments despite the training fund not being an investment institution.