KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — The Malaysian Rugby Union (MRU) hopes the individual allegedly involved in misappropriating funds that belonged to the Union be charged soon.
Its president Amir Amri Mohamad said the impact of the individual’s breach of trust has not only tarnished the image of the national body but also affected its financial resources directly and indirectly, as it has hindered efforts to look for sponsors.
“We hope the individual involved in the case will be charged soon because the incident has had a big impact on the union’s financial resources and assistance to MRU. If no action is taken, it would seem that we in MRU are not taking any action for such an act.
“I am confident and believe the police will carry out a thorough investigation,” he said to Bernama at the closing ceremony of the 2024 MRU Seminar at Wisma OCM today.
In December 2022, MRU lodged a police report regarding a breach of trust suspected to have occurred in the handling of the parent body’s bank account. The incident is believed to have taken place on December 6, 2022.
The case, in which the actual amount is not known yet, is suspected to have been committed by one of its employees who could not be contacted or traced.
The staff is suspected to have forged the signatures of the President and Honorary Treasurer of MRU to include his name as one of the cheque signatories and later forged signatures to make cash withdrawals from the bank.
Meanwhile, Amir said the MRU has agreed on a new directive which enables players to register for only one state league competition for the year 2024.
He added the move is to prevent players from playing in two state leagues at the same time, which will also allow the respective states to identify new talented players who can be groomed to play at a higher level.
“If we restrict players to play in only one state league, there is an opportunity for more new players to come through the ranks and would give them an opportunity to showcase their talent. We see the move as a positive step forward.
“We have to try out new ways to see if such a move can bring about a positive impact. If it is successful, we will continue,” Amir said.
The union will also discuss the proposed move with its affiliates from time to time, including setting up a mechanism that can benefit the state associations and players.
— Bernama
