KUALA LUMPUR – Embattled Human Resource Development Corp (HRD Corp) chief executive Datuk Shahul Hameed Dawood is on garden leave starting tomorrow, pending the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation into the company.
It is learnt that the chairman and board members have been informed of the matter.
When asked to confirm Shahul’s leave, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said: “Yes”.
Previously, several government lawmakers called for Shahul to go on garden leave pending the MACC probe.
On July 9, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin and Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim told the Dewan Rakyat that the move was necessary to restore public confidence following the findings in the Auditor-General’s (A-G) Report 2/2024 and by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
Hassan, meanwhile, said Shahul should be suspended or terminated, adding that he was on the board of directors and the investment panel.
Yesterday, Sim reiterated that he would not shield any HRD Corp officials during the investigation.
“Whether appointing or terminating someone, whether in a government-linked company or a private corporation, there is a procedure for termination.
“When a case is under the MACC’s investigation, it’s not about terminating officials in the corporation; it involves a criminal offence. For the first time ever, MACC took immediate action by initiating a probe within 24 hours after the HR Ministry lodged a report based on findings by the A-G and PAC.
“I will not protect anyone, and no one is safe if they are guilty. This will do justice to this issue,” he said in a press conference in Parliament.
Earlier this month, the A-G’s Report on HRD Corp highlighted irregularities, such as the alleged misuse of levies collected from employers meant for training purposes that were instead spent on investments and asset purchases.
The PAC also revealed a levy collection totalling RM3.77 billion from employers using HRD Corp in various investment activities. – July 18, 2024