PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has begun investigations into allegations that the final audit report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was altered.
In a statement on Sunday (Nov 25), the commission said it will go through the original documents of the report and compare them with the final draft issued by the Auditor-General Department.
"In relations to this, the MACC will be calling several witnesses in the near future to testify and help with the investigations," it said.
Auditor-General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad had earlier Sunday said in a statement that several changes were made to the final report, including removing paragraphs mentioning the presence of businessman Low Taek Jho at a 1MDB board of directors meeting as well as 1MDB's financial status.
She said the directive to make the changes had come from Tan Sri Shukry Salleh, the former principal private secretary of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Feb 26, 2016, on the grounds that it was a sensitive issue and to prevent it from being manipulated by the then opposition parties.
She said that on March 2, 2016, the 1MDB final audit report was printed and on March 3, 2016, Ali handed two copies of the report to Shukry.
On March 4 and 7, 2016, the then Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang presented the 1MDB final audit report to the PAC, she said.
Madinah added that she briefed the Cabinet at its meeting on Friday (Nov 23) on the amendments to the 1MDB final audit report that was finalised and presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on March 4, 2016.
Madinah said the original 1MDB final audit report without the amendments and removal of paragraphs was handed over to the MACC and the police this year for their action.
Meanwhile Public Accounts Committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said that key stakeholders in the 1MDB scandal will be called to assist in investigations to the probe.
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