He said that between 2016 and 2018, some RM357.80 million worth of projects, out of a total of RM777 million, were awarded via direct negotiations or restricted tenders.
“Even after the RM100 million scandal involving a senior officer in the ministry, it is still carried out procurement without open tender,” Sim, who is the deputy minister, said in the Parliament lobby, referring to the 2016 case involving a ministry official who was investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly embezzling RM107 million in public funds.
Sim said in 2017, the value of procurements made without an open tender came up to RM264.2 million, while those via open tender were worth RM173.7 million.
“Last year, the ministry, along with the MACC implemented the Corruption Risk Management (CRM) plan, but it was cancelled in May.
“We have since ordered the CRM to be re-introduced.”
According to the MACC’s Public Service Corruption Ranking (PSCR), released in 2016, the ministry was placed eighth as most corrupt.
Sim said the ministry was among those that received the lowest allocations in the federal budget but leakages made it difficult to maximise the funds to develop youth and sports.