KUALA LUMPUR: There are no signs of financial misappropriation or abuse of powers in the Legal Profession Qualifying Board’s (LPQB) finances despite its accounts not audited for 18 years, the Dewan Rakyat was told on Tuesday (Jan 20).
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said the LPQB will be audited by the Auditor-General and its findings will be made public.
“I would like to confirm here that at the prima facie stage, there is no misuse or abuse of power in its finances.
“Nevertheless, the Auditor-General will carry out its duties to audit it as deep as it could so its findings will be made public,” said Kulasegaran during Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 20).
Kulasegaran also acknowledged that the LPQB was not audited for the past 18 years from 2008 to 2025, and it was only audited after the issue was raised in Parliament in 2024.
According to Kulasegaran, LPQB engaged an accounting firm to prepare its financial statements from 2008 to 2025 which was submitted in phases for review and auditing
Kulasegaran said LPQB submitted financial statements from 2008 to 2012 last October, but the Auditor-General’s Department on Dec 2 directed for the statements to be redone in the format required for statutory bodies.
“Therefore, the Board took action by preparing the financial statement and we have submitted statements from 2008 to 2012 on Jan 16 this year,” he added.
Kulasegaran said LPQB is in the midst of preparing financial statements from 2013 to 2025 in stages and it will be given to the Auditor-General’s Department once it is completed and approved by the board.
“Based on the Auditor-General's Department’s input, audit findings are expected to be tabled in Parliament in 2027,” he added.
In Nov 2024, it was revealed that the accounts of LPQB were not audited since 2008 and RM20.5mil was spent on its operational costs in the past seven years.
