'Top secret vaults used to store furniture'

The Registrar of Societies and the Civil Defence Department have been reprimanded in the Auditor-General's Report for storing old furniture in their vault intended for top secret documents.

"Paragraph 58 of the Security Directive, among others, states that top secret documents must be kept in a vault and fixed with a combination lock...

"However, visits to the Civil Defence Department and Registrar of Societies found they were not used for this purpose. 

"Instead, the vaults were used to store old furniture, cleaning (equipment) and office supplies," the report says.

This was at the Home Ministry's newly-built complex in Johor, which was completed in March last year and which has brought all the ministry's departments and agencies in the state under one roof.

In contrast, the report notes, there was a lack of vaults for the other departments of the ministry within the complex and there, controlled documents have been arbitrarily stored.

"Vaults for the National Registration Department and Immigration Department were insufficient, causing some controlled documents to be stored in the main stores," it says.

The main stores, the report says, were unsuitable as sewage and water pipes passed through the rooms and there were no fire prevention equipment or metal grilles.

The ministry in its reply to the findings on June 18 this year said the misused vaults have been emptied and that it is requesting funding to install the necessary facilities in the storerooms, which are always kept locked.

The lock-up at the National Anti-Drugs Agency, the audit report also says, was used to store stationery and office supplies instead of being used to hold drug suspects.

'Infested by fungus' 

The initial cost of the building was RM190.43 million, but increased to RM194.35 million after requests for additional facilities, which among others, included vaults and lock-up cells costing RM830,000.

On top of that, the report said, workmanship on the complex constructed by SP Setia Bhd through direct negotiations was shoddy and it had low quality equipment.

Fungus has been found on some parts of the building, including cabinets in the pantries.

According to the ministry's reply, the fungus is constantly being cleaned and the infested cabinets have been replaced by the contractor.

"The Johor Chemistry Department is still analysing a sample of the fungus and the Johor Occupational Health and Safety Department will provide recommendations for improvements after it is satisfied with the chemist's report," the reply says.

The audit report also notes that as at January this year, 34 interim payments totaling RM137.22 million had been made to the contractor, with an outstanding amount of RM57.14 million to be paid.