GEORGE TOWN: Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador today dismissed any hanky-panky on the part of the police in relation to the RM3.74 million regular maintenance payments for two police helicopters that had been inactive for over three years.
The public fund leakages in several ministries and departments were identified in the 2019 Auditor-General's Report (Compliance Audit Report on Ministries and Federal Departments) which was released recently.
Abdul Hamid said there was no fault done on the part of the police and that the matter had been explained to the Auditor-General during the exit conference they had before the report was finalised.
Explaining, he said, the payment was not the responsibility of the police but the Home Ministry, and that it (the ministry) was done according to what was stipulated in the contract.
"There is no hanky-panky about it. This has been explained to the Auditor-General's side. I was told then that it was agreed that this must be taken out.
"But from the news reports yesterday (Aug 25), it showed as though the police were the ones with criminal intent, which they were not supposed to do. That is not the case," he told newsmen after officiating a meeting involving the narcotics chiefs nationwide at The Wembley Hotel here today.
He was commenting on the discrepency pointed out in the 2019 Auditor-General's Report released recently.
It was reported that after six months of a helicopter being inactive, the fixed monthly maintenance charge would be reduced by 25 per cent, from RM38,500 to RM28,875.
An audit visit to the police's Air Wing Unit (PGU) in Subang in September 2019 found that one of the helicopters, registered as 9M-PHJ, had been inactive for 17 months from March 13, 2018 until August 2019 when it was involved in an accident during landing.
However, the helicopter was still charged at RM38,500 after a period of six months from the date the helicopter was inactive, resulting in a total of RM105,875 being overpaid for a period of 11 months from October 2018 to September 2019.
It further found that a total of RM3.47 million had been paid for the maintenance of two more helicopters, which had been inactive for more than three years from 2017 until 2019, because the terms of the contract only allowed for a discount to be given to a maximum of three helicopters at any one time.
Elaborating, Abdul Hamid said he would seek clarification from the Auditor-General's side on why the matter was brought up again.
"It doesn't look nice...as though, we are the ones who had committed the blunder. I think I need clarification.
"On the whole, for the police, there is no issue of misappropriation, misuse of power or whatever...it is not our undoing." he added.