KUALA LUMPUR: The National Council of Professors (NCP) should be dissolved after almost RM373,516 of its funds were misused, according to the Auditor General's (A-G) Report, says Jimmy Puah (Pakatan Harapan-Tebrau).
He said this was a severe betrayal of public trust, which left no reason for the council's existence, adding that the money would be better spent channelled to targeted subsidies for the people.
"Let's just close down or dissolve NCP to save the money. We're trying to implement targeted subsidies and we've raised the service tax rate but here we're seeing leakages and misappropriation (of funds)," he said during the debate of the A-G's Report in Parliament on Tuesday (July 9).
Released on July 4, the report revealed several financial irregularities in the NCP, which is overseen by the Prime Minister's Department.
This includes two NCP trustees who misused RM373,516 of the council's funds to finance the operations of two companies.
The pair also failed to declare their interests as shareholders in the two companies in accordance with the Companies Act 2016.
Based on interviews with NCP officials, the report said the two companies had been operating rent-free out of the council's office since 2019.
It also found that the council's chairman and deputy chairman were paid RM207,000 in allowances without ministerial approval. Other issues raised included corporate credit card payments totalling RM98,076 and advance payments of RM20,000 made without supporting documents.
The National Audit Department recommended an overhaul of NCP's management and for the irregularities to be reported to the relevant enforcement agencies.
