PAC to halt probe on tampering of 1MDB audit report

KUALA LUMPUR: The Parliament Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will stand down its probe on the alleged tampering of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) audit report following court charges filed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the matter.

The decision by the PAC to defer its investigation comes after former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy were charged yesterday with involvement in the alleged tampering.

“Before starting our probe on Dec 4, we wrote to Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas for his opinion as the MACC was also carrying out its own investigation.

“The AG said that we could go ahead with our investigation as long as the MACC had not brought its case to court.

“Taking a cue from the AG’s advice, it is proper for the PAC to cease its investigations on that matter since it’s already in the court of law,” PAC chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said when contacted yesterday.

PAC deputy chairman Wong Kah Woh said that the probe would be discontinued if it prejudiced both the prosecution and defence cases before the courts.

“Several witnesses had already given their explanation to the PAC and we were scheduled to call them to testify in the second week of January next year.

“However, this will now be put on hold,” he said.

The PAC began its probe into the alleged tampering of the 1MDB audit report on Dec 4 by calling former auditor-general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang as the first witness.

Also called were Auditor-General Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad and National Audit Department’s former audit performance director Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad.

Former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa, the former prime minister’s principal private secretary Tan Sri

Shukry Salleh and National Audit Department director-in-charge of the government audit sector Nor Salwani Muhammad were supposed to appear before the committee.