The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) saga took another twist today with the union filing a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency against the Department of Trade Union Affairs director-general Zulkifly Abdullah.

The report comes barely 24-hours after Zulkifly ( photo ) told malaysiakini that his department had lodged a police report against the union for alleged financial discrepancies in its funds that were exposed by an external auditor.

NUBE has faced infighting for more than two years, following the ouster of general secretary J Solomon by another group led by then deputy president Muhammad Fauzi Shamsuddin.

There were allegations of financial discrepancies going back to the time of Solomon's predecessor in the union, leading both into a bitter legal battle for legitimacy.

The ACA report - filed by NUBE president Abdul Jalil Abdul Hamid ( photo )- contained documents that allegedly proves that Zulkifly had been negligent in fulfilling his responsibilities as a government servant.

Abdul Jalil - accompanied by the union's deputy president Abdul Zaman Abdullah, general treasurer Michael Tan Eng Hong and KL branch committee officer Osman Yusuf - also accused the director-general of various abuses of power.

The report made references to Zulkifly's alleged contravention of constitutional rules and procedures of the union, and laws pertaining to the Trade Unions Act (1959).

It also accused him of being negligent in various matters despite being empowered to act in his capacity as an appointed civil servant.

'Conspiring with BCB'

"The director-general is conspiring with the Bumiputra Commerce Bank management to dissolve NUBE," said Abdul Jalil in the 10-page report.

He also claimed that Zulkifly had attended a meeting with the bank management - whom the union has a industrial dispute with - on July 24 although he had nothing to do with the management.

According to the report, also present at the meeting was the executive director of the Malaysian Association of Commercial Banks S Sivagnanam.

"If Zulkifly's visit was related to the audit therefore it should be his officer who has to advise him on audit matters and not the bank management

"Zulkifly is the Trade Unions director-general not the director-general of Industrial Relations. He has nothing to do with an industrial dispute," said Abdul Jalil.

Also included in the report were photographs that allegedly show the director-general attending the meeting.

Motives questioned

Abdul Jalil said that a few days after Zulkifly attended the meeting, Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn announced that legal action would be taken against NUBE for alleged financial irregularities.

He added that the announcement was made before a report on the external audit was given to the union. The minister also did not specify the alleged discrepancies.

He said Zulkifly had then announced that steps would be taken to de-register the union.

He added that the director-general had also failed to state the alleged discrepancies but went on to say that he would dissolve the union and re-register it under a different name.

"What are the motives of the director general in putting the union to trial in public before the charges are even made known, and without naming the persons involved?" Abdul Jalil told reporters when met later.

He called on the ACA to investigate Zulkifly and urged the agency to take the appropriate steps to protect the union members' interests and rights.

NUBE also called upon Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step in to resolve the crisis.

Copies of the report were also sent to Abdullah, Fong, Second Finance Minister Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, de facto Law Minister Dr Rais Yatim, Chief Secretary to the Government Samsudin Osman, Public Complaints Bureau director-general Wan Abdul Wahab Abdullah, Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Zainal Rampak.