Five of Sivakumar’s officers’ contracts terminated, one transferred – source

 

Five officers attached to Human Resource Minister V Sivakumar had their services terminated with immediate effect, according to sources from the Prime Minister's Department.

Malaysiakini understands the move was part of the government's efforts to clean up the Human Resources Ministry after recent allegations of corruption and abuse of power linked to Sivakumar's officers.

"Five officers had their contracts terminated while another one was transferred to the Public Service Department.

"They include two officers who were recently detained by the MACC," said the source.

"Some of them had their contracts terminated because of the MACC probe, while others were for poor performance," the source told Malaysiakini.

The source added that at least two of the officers had already received either their termination or transfer letters, while the rest are still pending.

Human Resource Minister V Sivakumar

Malaysiakini has contacted the minister and his office for comments.

Last month, the MACC raided the Human Resource Ministry in Putrajaya and arrested Sivakumar's senior officer over allegations of corruption in the migrant workers’ recruitment process.

Subsequently, the MACC also remanded Sivakumar's private secretary for four days while the minister himself was summoned for questioning.

In response, Sivakumar suspended three of his senior aides - including the private secretary and special functions officer detained by the MACC.

Of the three, one officer remained in suspension after being released, while the other two had taken leave from work pending completion of the MACC probe.

Industry sources previously told Malaysiakini that one of the arrested officers, in his senior position, could potentially influence approvals of hiring quotas from manpower agencies. - Mkini