Questions raised over 'missing RM200,000'

The former vice-president of the Malaysian Hindu Youth Council (HYC) has lodged a police report claiming that RM200,000 in funds had been ‘misappropriated by the president and treasurer’.

When contacted, the president KM Rasa Selvan described the allegation as baseless, while treasurer N Venthan would only say that all comments would have to come from the president.

In her report filed last Friday at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur, G Umadevi said the Youth and Sports Ministry had given the council RM70,000 on Jan 21, 2008 and RM130,000 on Feb 21, 2008 to finance its activities.

Umadevi - who has been with the council for 21 years - said the constitution allows the treasurer to hold only RM200 at any point of time, and that committee approval had to be obtained to withdraw sums in excess of this.

She claimed that Rasa Selvan and Venthan (left) had, however, taken out all the money within days of it being deposited into the HYC’s bank account on each occasion.

At a committee meeting on March 23, 2008, “they admitted their wrongdoing, but could not provide a convincing reason for having made the withdrawals”, Umadevi said in the report which called for investigation of the matter.

“There were also discrepancies in the documents they showed us, which indicates that they had attempted to falsify the records relating to the cash transactions.

“Both of them have failed to provide valid documents to the committee to show where the funds have been channeled, or to give a clear explanation as to how the money has been utilised. This has raised the suspicions of the committee members.

“The monthly accounts they presented to the committee did not correlate with the bank statements. This led us to believe that they have misused their authority to further their own interests.”

Umadevi (left), 37, told Malaysiakini today that she and vice-president II M Kanan had raised questions about the procedural irregularities and use of the money.

“However, the president suspended us from our post last Friday because of this. We only had the interests of the Indian community at heart in raising this matter,” she said.

The two veeps had lodged similar but separate reports with the Anti-Corruption Agency and the Registrar of Societies last month.

‘Explanation accepted’

At the HYC’s annual general meeting (AGM) yesterday, delegates picked up on the issue.

Secretary-general V Vijayan (right) confirmed this when contacted, saying that the treasurer had explained the matter, albeit without revealing the specific beneficiaries of the RM200,000.

“I think we require further clarification from the treasurer,” he said, adding delegates from 150 branches nationwide - except those in Sabah - had attended the AGM.
Denying the allegations, Rasa Selvan claimed that the 300 delegates had “wholeheartedly accepted the explanation given by the treasurer and myself”.

“The money has been spent according to the guidelines stipulated by the ministry when the council was formed. It was used for Hindu welfare clubs, poor students and sports organisations. There was no wrongdoing,” he said.

Rasa Selvan (left) claimed to know who was behind the allegations and said the two involved “have been sacked” and that delegates had endorsed the move.

He also claimed that the committee, at its meeting in March, had accepted the explanation. He further denied that the office bearers are being investigated by the authorities.

Umadevi, however, voiced her fears that the delegates had been “bought over”.

The council was created 59 years ago to promote the physical and cultural well being of Hindu youth.