Auditor-General: Let MACC finish 'watergate' probe first


KUALA LUMPUR: Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang (pic) says he has questions about the alleged graft in the Sabah Water Department, but will allow the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to conduct its own investigations first.

"In this fraud case, I am interested to know how they (the perpetrators) did it, and the only people who know about this is the MACC and they have not yet finished their work," Ambrin told reporters when met after closing the Open Government Partnership Conference here Thursday.

He said he would wait for the MACC complete its work before deciding whether to then follow up with an audit on the state water department.

"We'll see," he said when asked whether he would audit the department after the MACC finishes its investigations.

Ambrin said that among the questions which he is personally interested to know about are how exactly the perpetrators managed to commit such fraud.

"This is about procurement, so how was the procurement handled? Who handled the procurement?

"If the money came from the ministry, was it then sent to a state ministry or the department?

"These are the things we want to know. And who selected the contractors?"

On a separate matter, Ambrin was asked whether he would declassify the Auditor-General's Report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

He replied that the decision is now with the Public Accounts Committee.

"It is the PAC which made the decision for our report not to go public, so (it remains) unless they (PAC) have a change of mind."

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