HRD Corp slammed news portal The Vibes for its allegations on the corporation's conduct pertaining to the contract and procurement process of the Skills Passport initiative. The HRD agency said the report was inaccurate and contained false and defamatory statements that damaged the agency's reputation and credibility. They demanded that the online news portal take down the story and apologize.
The online news portal did not contact the HRD agency before publishing
The article was quoting a letter between the HRD agency and a senior official of the Ministry of Finance. The agency noted that the issues raised in the letter were answered and resolved at a board meeting. The letter cannot be made available to the public or published in the media because it is subject to the Official Secrets Act of 1972 (OSA).
HRD Corp said the online news portal did not attempt to contact them to respond to the article's statements before publishing the story. The agency also said they would take all necessary action to defend their reputation and protect their interests. They have instructed their lawyers to file legal action to secure a retraction of the article and an apology.
