KUALA LUMPUR: A meeting between representatives of Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) and Human Resources Minister Steven Sim is believed to have been held in Parliament, today.
This comes after speculations that a representative from HRD Corp board of directors alongside an individual who exposed the Skills Passport scandal would be meeting Sim for a meeting today.
It is also believed that the meeting would discuss issues related to the 2023 Auditor-General Report on HRD Corp which was released last week. However, no further details of the meeting were provided when enquired by the media.
A source speaking to the New Straits Times said the matter was confidential and no information could be provided at the moment.
Meanwhile, NST checks in Parliament today found that three individuals believed to be related to HRD Corp were seen leaving one of the Parliament buildings.
One of the individuals was identified as Merle Fernandez, who is HRD Corp's chief legal officer and company secretary.
They were also seen to be carrying several documents and briefcases before leaving the premise.
Earlier today, Sim through a statement announced that the ministry plans to engage a third-party auditor for an independent audit of HRD Corp.
He added that the ministry is currently in the procurement process to appoint a professional third-party auditor and is expected to be completed by July 31.
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.