KUALA LUMPUR: After a heated debate among Members of Parliament (MPs), the Dewan Rakyat today (Thursday) agreed for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Auditor General to open a new investigation into 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal that has “rocked the nation.”
The motion to reopen the investigations of 1MDB was tabled by the Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng.
When tabling the motion, Guan Eng said, the new investigation will give the former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to defend himself from being guilty and at the same time clear his name openly in the public.
Guan Eng added, it would be fair and reasonable that the National Audit Department and PAC could conduct a reasonable audit to confirm the former Prime Minister’s level of involvement in the scandal.
“Most importantly, the motion would give a chance for Malaysia which was known for being kleptocratic to clean and free itself from corrupt practices besides upholding the sovereignty of Malaysia’s law and return the dignity of the nation in the eyes of the world,” he said.
In the motion, Guan Eng also mentioned that the former PAC chairman has hidden the letter from Bank Negara Malaysia from PAC. The letter has stated that a Malaysian citizen from Penang Low Taek Jho or Jho Low is the sole beneficiary of the company Good Star Limited.
“This important information has surfaced the lies of the former Prime Minister and the top management of 1MDB that defended Good Star Limited as a subsidiary company of PetroSaudi International Limited and is a joint venture partner with 1MDB.
Guan Eng also said former Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang has recorded his dissatisfaction on the 1MDB management after they did not give full cooperation. Important documents were not given by 1MDB including financial reports and its subsidiaries abroad and the proofs of investments in international investments funds.
He also said that in the prosecution report of Department of Justice (DOJ) United States of America (USA), and the USA courts has found that 1MDB has been involved in money laundering. DOJ also estimated that the amount of money from 1MDB that was stolen and misused was more than USD4.5 billion or RM18 billion.
Meanwhile Datuk Hasan Arifin (BN-Rompin) when debating on the motion said he decided to remove the information from the PAC report before it was tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2016 as it was a confidential letter from Bank Negara.
Tony Pua (PH-Damansara) had an argument with Hasan when he asked: “Why had you altered the final PAC report without informing the PAC members?”
Tony said that the former PAC chairman had used his position to protect and exonerate Najib of wrongdoing. –Malaysia World News
