HRDF chief Vignaesvaran resigns amid misappropriation claims

HRDF deputy chief executive Lim Kah Cheng will take over as acting chief executive with immediate effect.

CM Vignaesvaran Jeyandran has resigned as chief executive of the Human Resources Development Fund. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) chief executive CM Vignaesvaran Jeyandran has resigned effective June 21.

In a statement today, HRDF said its deputy chief executive Lim Kah Cheng would take over as acting chief executive with immediate effect.

“The minister of human resources has directed HRDF to establish a governance oversight committee with a mandate to assist HRDF’s board of directors to fulfil its oversight responsibilities.

“The committee will review all aspects of the board’s governance framework to ensure the board functions in an effective and efficient manner, to support the operations of the HRDF,” it said, adding that committee members would be announced after HRDF’s annual general meeting next week.

HRDF had been in the spotlight following claims that RM300 million belonging to the fund had been misappropriated.

Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran said he would form a committee to look into the complaints which were brought up at a recent forum, after which three members of the HRDF board voluntarily resigned.

Kulasegaran added that Vignaesvaran’s position would be decided by the same committee.

HRDF, an agency under the human resources ministry, provides funds for companies to provide training and skills development of their employees through firms accredited as training providers.

Lim, who takes over from Vignaesvaran, is a chartered fellow with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the first fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute in Malaysia.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in technology from Universiti Sains Malaysia and completed his masters in business administration at Universiti Putra Malaysia. -FMT