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©New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Norfatimah Ahmad and Mohd Hamizar Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR: Ten people have been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Agency over mismanagement of funds highlighted by the Auditor-General's report.

Six of them are from the Welfare Department, two are Youth and Sports Ministry officers and two others.

They are expected to be charged under the Anti-Corruption Act 1967 in the Sessions Courts in Kelantan, Pahang and Sabah today.

Sources told Berita Harian that the Sports Ministry officers were nabbed, along with two others - a negotiator and a contractor - yesterday in connection with an RM8.39 million scheme to provide equipment to the Kelantan branch of the National Youth Skills Institute.

They will be charged in the Kota Baru Sessions Court today.

The six Welfare Department officers are expected to be charged with embezzling money allocated for projects. One officer will be charged at the Raub court and the other five at the Kota Kinabalu court today.

ACA deputy director (I) Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed confirmed the arrests.

It is learnt that the ACA will hold a press conference today on the arrests and its investigation of mismanagement of funds in government departments and agencies highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report, which was released on Budget Day in the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 7.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said her ministry would assist and co-operate with the ACA in its investigation.

"I have ordered my ministry to give the ACA 100 per cent support in its investigations right from the first time the Auditor-General's report was published.

"We encourage them to investigate the matter fully and we back whatever action they take against the offenders. We will not hide any facts," she said.

The report exposed how several government departments wasted public funds needlessly. This included buying 13 items for the National Youth Skills Institute for RM8.39 million - way above the market rates.

Two crane towers were purchased for RM5.72 million when their cost was RM2.98 million.

The Youth and Sports Ministry also purchased 17 sets of technical books for RM181,900, or RM10,700 per set, when it was priced at RM417 each.

ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan last Friday said his department had almost completed investigations and would be taking action against several individuals soon.

On Sept 13, Pahang Welfare Department director Datuk Bakar Mamat said his department was taking disciplinary action against its staff in Raub and Bentong for defrauding the department of RM113,044.

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