Nur Jazlan: Rafizi can be charged under OSA

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR's Rafizi Ramli could face charges if it is found that he released an excerpt from the Auditor-General’s report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd that had been classified under the Official Secrets Act, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohammad (pic) said.

The Deputy Home Minister said Rafizi "definitely broke" the law if the document is verified to be under it.

"Of course he is wrong, it's the OSA, which has prescribed offence and punishment.

"Police will launch their own investigations now that Rafizi has admitted to giving out OSA documents," Nur Jazlan told reporters outside the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

"The procedure is to verify that it's under OSA. If it is, then we will press charges," he said.

Section 8 of OSA states that a person found guilty of exposing an official secret can face up to seven years in jail.

On Monday, Rafizi revealed details from what he claimed was an excerpt of the A-G’s report on 1MDB to prove that it was partly to blame for delays in the Armed Forces Fund Board’s (LTAT) gratuity payments.

1MDB, however, has denied the allegations, and added that Rafizi was lying.

"1MDB refers to (PKR vice-president) Rafizi Ramli’s revelation today of what he asserts to be an excerpt from the Auditor-General’s Report on 1MDB to the Public Accounts Committee, which we understand has been classified under the Official Secrets Act.

"Whilst 1MDB has previously confirmed that it suffered from a cash-flow mismatch in 2015, the company reiterates its previous confirmation on March 21 that all payments to PPHM (LTAT subsidiary Perbadanan Perwira Hartanah Malaysia) under the contract are current and there are no amounts outstanding.

"Accordingly, 1MDB strongly denies that it is the cause of any payment delays to members of the Armed Forces," the company said in a statement on Monday.