Raduan Che Rose, chairman of UiTM’s board of directors, said the appointment was made based on the academic’s “experience and expertise”.

“The appointment was made through a rigorous screening process, including obtaining endorsement from the insolvency department, which gave permission with specific conditions,” he said in a statement, without disclosing details of the terms.

“His expertise and experience were also key considerations in his appointment, which further saw him contribute significantly to the development of UiTM’s cardiothoracic programme.”

Last Friday, FMT reported that Academy of Sciences Malaysia fellow Tajuddin Abdullah had called on the university to show accountability and furnish full details of the engagement to the higher education ministry.

Tajuddin said failing to do so would erode public confidence in the institution.

Responding to claims that the academic had not been registered with the Malaysian Medical Council this year, UiTM confirmed that he holds a practising licence valid until Dec 31.

Questions about the academic’s status were raised on social media after he was interviewed by a news portal recently.

A search conducted with the insolvency department confirmed that the academic had been declared bankrupt in 2014, and remained undischarged as of April 25 this year.

Several netizens also claimed they had enrolled in a private medical university started by the same person some 10 years ago but it was later shut down, forcing the government to intervene.

On April 29, the issue prompted higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir to order the university to furnish a full report on the matter. However, there has yet to be an update on the status of the report.