SARAWAK Pakatan Harapan (PH) Youth today called for a graft probe into the series of “suspicious payments”, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) had allegedly made.

PH Youth lodged a formal report on the payments with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), calling on the graft busters to determine whether there were any misappropriation of funds or leakages when HDC paid out RM2.88 million to two contractors for non-existent repainting job of 12 public housing units as stated in the Auditor-General’s (A-G) 2016 report.

In addition to that, there was also an “unauthorised advance payment” of RM16.06 million made for the upgrading of a road in Sibu, which the report said resulted in the state government incurring interest charges of RM1.77 million.

“That is potentially RM20.73 million in unaccounted funds which could have been used for the benefit of the people,” DAP’s Kelvin Yii said after lodging the report.

The A-G’s report also said HDC made payments of RM33.40 million to suppliers without any verification by an authorised officer while six payment vouchers amounting to RM20.77 million were also not supported by payment certificates.

“These findings point clearly to serious management issues and poor financial oversight,” Yii, a special assistant to DAP state chairman Chong Chieng Jen said.

Yii said the report had said HDC, a unit under the state Housing Ministry where Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg was its minister last year, was “completely irresponsible with the state’s money and resources”.

“Imagine all this money being put to proper use for the good of the people.

“All the dilapidated schools could be repaired and upgraded, the medical clinics in rural areas as well and financial assistance could be given to help people in need.

“That is why we are here today to lodge a report to facilitate and make it easier for MACC to open an investigation and that someone has to be held responsible for these mismanagement in the spirit of transparency and good governance,” Yii said.

Yii said he seriously hoped MACC would look into the alleged wrongdoing and not sweep them under the carpet “as seen with many of the previous A-G reports through the years”. – August 10, 2017.