14 committees set up to probe ministries, agency
PUTRAJAYA: Fourteen investigation committees have been established under the Public Service Department to investigate 60 punitive warnings involving 10 ministries and an agency based on the Auditor General’s (AG) Report 2016 Series 1.
“Investigations will be carried out to obtain relevant statements in terms of the officers’ involvement and testimonies related to the cases reported,” said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa during a media session on the AG’s report yesterday.
“Disciplinary action, penalties and criminal charges will be framed against the officers in court if they are found to have been involved in embezzlement, power abuse, misconduct or negligence in carrying out their duties.”
The 10 ministries and the agency were Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Defence, Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism, Higher Education, Works, Health, Rural and Regional Development, Human Resources, Education, Home Ministries, and the Public Private Partnership Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department.
Punitive warnings were issued for matters related to embezzlement, abuse of power, misconduct or negligence in the execution of duties, whereas corrective warnings were made to improve the system and procedures.
Ali said based on investigations, 31, or 52 per cent, of the warnings were for disciplinary proceedings involving 119 officers.
“Twenty four, or 40 per cent, of the warnings had no element of fraud, abuse of power, misconduct or negligence which were verified by the National Audit Department, Finance Ministry and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
“The other five warnings are being investigated to identify the officers responsible,” he said, adding that at the state level, some 43 punitive warnings were issued involving 12 state governments, where five warnings were investigated with disciplinary action being taken against 17 officers.
Overall, 895 warnings were issued following the publication of the report.
Meanwhile, Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, in responding to a question, said the contractor who was awarded the Bera Hospital project in Pahang was technically viable.
The RM88 million hospital, which has been delayed for two years, was highlighted in the report presented in Parliament on Monday.
It was reported that the hospital, which was built to address the overcrowding at Temerloh Hospital, could accommodate up to 92,000 people.
Auditor General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad said nine ministries which did not fare well under Series 1 and 2 of the 2015 AG’s Report had raised their standards to five-star ratings in Series 1 of the 2016 report.
The nine ministries were the Home; Youth and Sports; Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism; Energy, Green Technology and Water; Works; Communications and Multimedia; Foreign; Science, Technology and Innovation; and Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry ministries.
She said this was also the first time all 25 ministries obtained five-star ratings.
Investigations will be carried out to obtain relevant statements in terms of the officers’ involvement and testimonies related to the cases reported.
TAN SRI DR ALI HAMSA Chief Secretary to the Government