The Malaysian Auditor General has reported that action had been taken against 1,000 Public Servants for “flaws and weaknesses” in 2018.
Auditor General Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid (pictured) said of the total, 255 were penalised, 604 officers were freed and proceedings were still continuing against 141 others.
Mr Nik Azman said punishments included warnings (141), suspension of salaries (26), fines (11), salary cuts (10), fines and a warning (nine), surcharges and a warning (nine), salary cuts and a warning (seven) and demotion (one).
Two received sentences in the courts.
“Sometimes we feel that the punishments imposed by a Department (against the officers) are soft, but the Audit Department can not intervene because we only do the audit and look for the non-compliance,” Mr Nik Azman said.
“The National Audit Department (JAN) respects the decision taken by the committees at the respective Departments that conducted investigations, whereby they may also take into account other factors in making the assessment,” he said
However, Mr Nik Azman said there would be follow-up audits to find out more about the reasons behind so many cases of misconduct.
He said officers from his Department would meet with the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Service Department so an internal inquiry could be established.
“We hope to identify any mistakes, abuse of power or negligence so that appropriate action can be taken,” he said.
Kuala Lumpur, 16 July 2020
