KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 6): Barely two weeks into taking over the helm at Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), chief executive Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz has suspended three senior executives for an internal investigation.
The suspension follows findings and recommendations in reports by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Auditor General and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over management of unutilised levy, the acquisition of Menara Ikhlas and HRD Corp’s equity investment management, as well as a recent discovery relating to the New Core System (NCS), according to a statement on Friday. The executives suspended were not identified.
The findings relating to the NCS, in particular, involved a procurement amounting to RM14 million and a delay of more than four years following three unsuccessful user acceptance tests.
Shamir said these governance and recovery measures are being implemented in line with the aspirations of Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, who has emphasised a higher standard of integrity, transparency and accountability in workforce institutions, ensuring that HRD Corp’s stewardship translates into real, measurable outcomes for employers and Malaysian workers.
“For this purpose, HRD Corp will implement an internal investigation process that is transparent and conducted with integrity, with a clear mandate, scope and terms of reference.
"This will include the review of documents, financial records, approvals, meeting minutes and relevant audit trails, as well as the taking of statements and verification of facts from relevant officers, subject to the principles of natural justice and the confidentiality requirements of the investigation,” Shamir said.
Within the first week of Shamir's appointment, HRD Corp secured approximately 18% settlement of its outstanding structured investment portfolio, together with the corresponding return amounting to RM151.8 million, read the statement.
Moving forward, HRD Corp will enforce a new rule requiring approved training programmes to begin only 21 days to three months after approval, ensuring sufficient preparation time for employers and providers, the statement read.
This measure addresses current governance gaps, including programmes conducted before approval and inadequate oversight.
To strengthen compliance and monitoring, HRD Corp will deploy officers to directly oversee programme implementation on-site.