MACC raids HRDF office in Bukit Damansara

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — An extensive probe into abuses within the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) continued this week with anti-corruption investigators raiding its main office in the upscale Damansara Heights neighbourhood.

A source familiar with the investigation said officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) visited the HRDF office there on Monday and have been in and out of the building daily, taking away documents suspected to be fraudulent training courses purportedly held in various parts of the country.

Seven boxes worth of such files have been removed to date.

“Several cases are being investigated under Section 18 of the MACC Act,” said the source, on condition of anonymity.

Section 18 of the Act criminalises deceit of the principal by an agent. In other words, anyone who gives an agent, or is an agent and uses any receipt, account or other document in respect of which the principal is interested that he believes to contain false, defective or erroneous statements to deceive or mislead the principal commits an offence.

The source said the MACC team is expected to remain at the Damansara Heights office for the rest of this week at least.

Statements from the HRDF employees have also been recorded.

Last November, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said high-ranking HRDF staff misappropriated around RM100 million of the RM300 million in the fund.

He also highlighted several wrongdoings, such as abuse of duties, criminal breach of trust and acting beyond prescribed procedure without reporting to the board of directors.

Kulasegaran also set up a five-member independent governance oversight committee to review and probe the allegations.

Investigations at the main HRDF office in Damansara Heights began in early January with the police following allegations of training fund misappropriation, fraud and other malpractices.

Following that, the MACC began investigations and have conducted raids on an office in Cyberjaya and a warehouse in Semenyih, among several places across the Klang Valley.

Source : MalayMail