KUALA LUMPUR — A bill to amend the Legal Profession Act 1976 to allow audits on the Legal Profession Qualifying Board’s (LPQB) finances is expected to reach Parliament during the current sitting, said law and institutional reform deputy minister M. Kulasegaran.
He told the Dewan Rakyat the cabinet is expected to approve the matter soon, after which the amendments will be tabled to lawmakers.
According to Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat-PH), the new law will allow the Auditor-General to scrutinise LPQB’s financial accounts that have not been audited for 17 years.
The deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was replying Teresa Kok (Seputeh-PH) who asked about LPQB’s operating expenditure and whether the board has an internal auditor to supervise its accounts.
Kulasegaran explained that since 2020, LPQB’s organisational structure had provided for the position of an audit secretary. However, the post has been vacant for the past three years.
“In discussions I had with LPQB’s exam director, I directed them to make it their priority to fill that position,” Kulasegaran told MPs during question time today.
On the board’s expenses, he said LPQB’s operating expenditure for the past five years was RM10 million, comprising payment of salaries, allowances, office rental and utilities among other things.
Also for that period, LPQB spent RM4 million to conduct the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) examinations.
Last week, Kulasegaran said the Prime Minister’s Department had taken action to have LPQB’s accounts audited as soon as possible, explaining that the board is not an agency to earn money, but a social agency which should be helping youth.
He also revealed that the LPQB is not subjected to tax by the Inland Revenue Board despite recording a substantial amount of revenue from fees charged to CLP candidates. – November 12, 2024
