KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry plans to engage a third-party auditor for an independent audit of the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), its minister Steven Sim Chee Keong announced.
The ministry is currently in the procurement process to appoint the professional third-party auditor, expected to be completed by July 31.
"The independent audit will review all processes, procedures, documentation, and compliance with laws and any guidelines concerning issues raised in reports by the Auditor General (AG) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
"The duration of the independent audit and the timeframe for the report will be determined once the auditor is appointed," he said.
He said that HRD Corp has been directed to fully cooperate with all relevant parties.
He added that the independent audit will run concurrently with the investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
"A special task force chaired by the Human Resources Ministry's Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, has been established.
"This is to facilitate ongoing investigations, review reports by the AG and PAC, including findings from the MACC investigation and the independent audit.
"This special taskforce will subsequently ensure that follow-up actions, including improvements, are fully implemented," he said.
Yesterday, it was reported the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) collected documents linked to issues highlighted in the latest AG Report at the HRD Corp's headquarters.
Last week, the AG's report highlighted that a training programme involving 3,726 participants, some of whom attended it up to 16 times, cost HRD Corp RM51.69 million.
Separately, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a separate inquiry found that HRD Corp used RM3.77 billion in levies collected from employers for training development programmes to make several different investments.
This is despite the fact that it is not an investment institution.