COMMENT | Back in March 2008, a whistleblower handed me 16 pages detailing how more than RM10 million was extravagantly spent on a self-indulgent event disguised as a “Women in Sports” carnival.

The documents exposed the lavish spending by an outfit called the Women’s Sports and Fitness Foundation Malaysia, which had received RM9.72 million from the National Sports Council (NSC) and another RM1.5 million from the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Among the major expenses:

RM2.1 million in grants.

RM2.1 million for meals and accommodation.

RM932,000 for media and advertising.

RM852,000 for equipment rental.

RM1.4 million classified as “entertainment,” which included flying in aerobic dancers from Australia for the opening ceremony.

Then-youth and sports minister Azalina Othman Said, who is now law minister, distanced herself from the issue, claiming she was merely a patron who “just cuts ribbons.”

She insisted she had no...