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HRD Corp demands apology, initiates legal action against news portal

KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp) today slammed news portal The Vibes for its allegations on the corporation's conduct pertaining to the contract and procurement process of the Skills Passport initiative.

The corporation said the article, titled "Fresh Scandal Brewing at HR Ministry?" published on the portal today contained false and defamatory statements that have caused serious damage to HRD Corp's reputation and integrity.

It said the portal's article, which cited a correspondence between a high ranking official from HRD Corp and the Finance Ministry (MoF) highlighting discrepencies in the Skills Passport initiative, was bound under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972 and therefore not meant for public consumption and media publication.

"The Vibes has not made any attempt to contact HRD Corp prior to publishing the misleading article to enable us to provide our response to the incorrect statements contained therein.

"This is disappointing and does not reflect a good or ethical standard of journalism by The Vibes," said HRD Corp in a statement today.

The corporation demanded an apology from the portal, stating that they will not compromise such baseless allegations to go unchallenged.

It said it would take all necessary actions to defend its reputation and protect its interests.

"We have instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action to ensure the retraction of the article and an apology from The Vibes."

Earlier today, The Vibes reported that the Human Resources Ministry (MoHR) might face another scandal after a mismatch was discovered by the Finance Ministry (MoF) in the process of procurement involving Skills Passport initiative.

The portal reported there were discrepencies between RM53 million to RM159.47 million a year involving a key figure in HRD Corp in the scandal.

Based on this letter sighted by the portal, MoF claimed that the individual attempted to deceive the MoF by suggesting that the individual had received the HRD Corp's board approval to proceed with the Skills Passport initiative.

The MoF's letter was based on the minutes from a board meeting by HRD Corp on Oct 6, 2022.

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