Khairy: Ministry officer accused of RM100m graft won’t be suspended unless charged

PUTRAJAYA, March 21 — The Youth and Sports Ministry official who allegedly embezzled RM100 million will be allowed to come back to work once his remand is over as he will only be suspended if he is charged in court, minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

Khairy said government procedures dictate that civil servants will only be suspended from duty once they are charged in court.

“According to government procedures, officers are only suspended from duty once they have been charged in court...so the suspect has not been charged in court as of today, he is in remand under MACC, but he has not been suspended from duty.

“Well for the time being yes...for the time being that is the government procedure,” Khairy told a press conference here, when asked if the suspect will be allowed to go to work.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested a 56-year-old official with the Youth and Sports Ministry last Friday, who was suspected of misappropriating RM100 million over the past six years.

Anti-graft authorities seized assets from the suspect worth about RM20 million, including 12 vehicles, designer handbags and fine jewellery, besides freezing 69 bank accounts containing RM8.3 million.

This is not the first time that the ministry is facing allegations of financial misappropriation.

Two years ago, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found the Youth and Sports Ministry guilty of financial misconduct for footing the staggering RM1.6 million bill for a K-pop concert in 2012, also recommending punitive action against those responsible.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek was youth minister then, holding the post from April 2009 to May 2013. Khairy succeeded him after the 13th general election in May 2013.

Khairy said today that the RM100 million corruption case would not affect Malaysia’s position as the host of the 2017 Sea Games.

He also said the ongoing upgrading works at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex for the sporting event worth RM1 billion were done via open tender under the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) that is below the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department, and has no relation to the Youth and Sports Ministry.