KUALA LUMPUR: Two senior Tourism Ministry officials are being investigated for allegedly misusing government funds to produce a tourism promotional video.
Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the internal probe started two weeks ago.
The duo were alleged to have misused about RM850,000 to promote Malaysia as a tourism destination, including producing the video.
It was reported that a tender for the video production was given to a non-existent company registered to several Koreans, who are said to be friends of the two officers.
Tengku Adnan, however, denied reports that he had been aware of the project and that he and his family had gone skiing with one of the officers involved during a holiday trip to South Korea.
“I did not know about the video. I was shocked when I was told about the news,” he said.
Tengku Adnan also said he did not know how to ski and had not gone to South Korea with the officer, except for a tourism promotional event last year.
He said the ministry was also investigating how the allegation had reached the media and who had leaked the information.
“We believe it could be some staff members who are unhappy and disappointed with recent promotions in the ministry, because one of the accused was also promoted.”
Tengku Adnan said all future tourism programmes must be endorsed by him to ensure that the ministry was aware of any promotional events overseas.
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