Amir Amri Mohamad. - NSTP file pic
Amir Amri Mohamad. - NSTP file pic

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Rugby (MR) is looking to strengthen their financial governance to prevent leakage and embezzlement.

New MR president Amir Amri Mohamad, elected during the national body's annual general meeting on Dec 2, said the matter would be discussed in detail during the exco meeting on Jan 2 in Kuala Lumpur.

"We are looking at forming two separate accounts for the 15s and sevens programmes," said Amir today.

"So there will be three accounts in total, including one main account which will be used to receive funding or sponsorship that will then be channeled into the two other accounts based on requirements.

"This way, it will be easier to track spending on our programmes and avoid potential issues.

"We will further discuss this during the exco meeting. There are also other measures we can take, but they would require that the MR constitution be amended."

MR suffered a rude shock in December last year when they discovered that an administrative employee had allegedly siphoned off a substantial sum of money from the national body with withdrawals dating back to 2019. It is believed that more than RM1 million had been taken.

Amir said MR appointed former vice-president Fahmy Jalil as the new honorary secretary, replacing Amrul Hazarin Hamidon.

Terengganu Rugby Association deputy president Che Mohd Zulkarnain Abdul Wahab was appointed treasurer, replacing Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid.

"We have decided on these two appointments. The rest of the portfolios, such as the coaching, tournament and high performance committees, will be discussed during the exco meeting," said Amir.

"I am confident Fahmy will be able to carry out the role well as he is very experienced and also has a strong relationship with Asia Rugby. Zulkarnain is also qualified as he has an accounting background."

Fahmy was MR tournament director during the 2019-2023 term.