INDEPENDENT AUDIT ON HRD CORP RIGHT MOVE IN RESTORING PUBLIC TRUST - PAC

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) welcomes the proactive actions of Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong to carry out an independent audit of Human Resources Development Bhd (HRD Corp).

PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, in a statement, said that it proved Sim kept his promise not to hide any truth, and described it as the right move in restoring the public's trust in the government’s Company Limited by Guarantee (CLBG).

“Although the issues reported by the PAC and Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) occurred before Sim became the Human Resources Minister, his willingness to appoint an independent audit firm based on the PAN and LKAN findings should be an example to other Cabinet ministers,” she said.

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According to PKAN Series 2/2024, there were actions and decisions made by HRD Corp management that did not comply with procedures and did not safeguard interests in achieving the company's founding functions.

The PAC was also reported to have revealed that RM3.77 billion in levy collections from employees was used by the HRD Corp Training Programme to invest in various investment activities that were not the agency’s intended objectives.

Elaborating, Mas Ermieyati said the PAC wants the findings and results of the independent audit to be presented to the committee when the ministry and HRD Corp are recalled for follow-up proceedings this September.

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Yesterday, Sim said a third-party professional auditor would be appointed to audit HRD Corp to ensure transparency in the independent audit, following the LKAN and PAC reports on the company's operations from 2019 to 2023.

-- BERNAMA