No graft in first series of Auditor General’s Report, says chief secretary

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa (left) speaks during a public briefing on the Auditor General's Report in Kuala Lumpur today. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, June 17, 2014.

Despite millions of ringgit being lost through leakage and wastage by civil servants, no element of graft was found in the first series of the Auditor General's (AG) Report 2013, the chief secretary to the government said today.

Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa told a forum comprising public officials and the press today that as of June 13, 2014, no action was required by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the 55 punitive reprimands found in the first series of the report involving ministries.

"Forty-one reprimands were found to be baseless in terms of disciplinary action, as it did not involve misconduct, but were a result of weaknesses in procedure and rules.

“Six reprimands are still being probed by the investigating committee,” he said, adding that Putrajaya had recommended disciplinary action for the remaining eight reprimands involving 26 civil officers.

The first series of the report was tabled on April 7, and the AG made a total of 109 recommendations to assist the ministries, departments and government-linked companies.

One prominent case involved the RM342.55 million Paya Peda Dam in Terengganu, which was marred by the contractors’ inexperience and lack of expertise.

The project’s failings had resulted in a flood two years ago which wrecked damage in the area and affected the targeted increase in paddy fields in the Besut district.

Another case involved the 560-day delay in the construction of the Kuantan court complex, resulting in a cost increase of some RM19.56 million.

On the second series of the AG Report 2013, Ali said Putrajaya had set up 11 investigation committees to probe into the report before it was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

He added that as of yesterday, the government will issue ten reprimands against 21 officers.

“The remaining 15 reprimands were found to have no elements of misappropriation, abuse of power, misconduct or negligence, but only involved procedure and rules,” he said.

But he said that all 15 reprimands would be further examined, and they would rope in the Public Service Department, the Ministry of Finance, the Auditor General Department, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the MACC.

Ali added that it was evident that the government’s proactive actions had reaped positive results, as the number of punitive-based reprimands had reduced over the years.

“In the AG Report 2012 (Series 1 and 2), 94 punitive reprimands were reported and this figure has decreased to 80 reprimands for the AG Report 2013 (Series 1 and 2).”

He explained that previous disciplinary action against officers involved sackings, warnings, and suspension of salary and promotion.

- TMI