Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today vowed to take full responsibility over the RM100 million corruption scandal involving a senior ministry officer.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the Umno Youth exco meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Khairy was repeatedly asked whether he would resign.
In response, he stopped short of pledging his resignation but offered full cooperation to ongoing investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption (MACC) and an independent taskforce formed by chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa.
"It is very important that I take responsibility. As minister in charge, I am responsible to ensure that all processes are corrected and repaired," said Khairy.
The minister was also asked whether his predecessors should similarly be held responsible but he insisted that he would do so as the current minister in charge.
"The KSN (Ali) told me he wants the independent taskforce to complete the investigation within this first quarter. Which is around a month's time," he said.
"We can assist as internally we have identified the alleged loophole.
"But we want to make sure that the taskforce looks into whatever they want to look at. We can point them to exactly what it was," said the Rembau MP.
The 56-year-old senior officer, arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on March 17, was alleged to have received kickbacks amounting to RM20 million and led a lavish lifestyle over the past six years.
The MACC had arrested the division secretary, whom it described as the mastermind of a syndicate involving misappropriation of state funds, along with eight others.
As part of its probe, MACC froze 69 accounts worth RM8.33 million, and seized houses, cars, clothes and jewellery.
Officer under remand transferred
Khairy, meanwhile, confirmed that the officer who is currently remanded by MACC has been transferred out of his ministry.
"He is not technically suspended from government service but is no longer under my ministry," he said, adding that the senior officer had rose through the ranks in his ministry since 1998.
Khairy also noted that the officer involved did not display any signs of his allegedly lavish lifestyle while at work.
At the same time, Khairy was also asked to comment on the outcry over Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng's bungalow controversy and he insisted that "corruption is corruption".
"I will not hide behind the excuse that this could be a political conspiracy against me or my career.
"We have to stand-up and face the criticisms. Whether it involves my ministry or other individuals, the principle is still the same," he stressed. -Mkini
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