PAC probing 1MDB audit report ‘tampering’ claims

PETALING JAYA: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is reviewing the “uncut” version of the Auditor-General’s (A-G) audited 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) report to determine if it had been sanitised to protect certain individuals.

To do this, they are reviewing the A-G’s draft audit report before it was finalised and presented to the previous PAC, a source told The Star.

“Certain parts in the draft report were believed to have been omitted before the final report was made.”

The source said the A-G’s audited report is separate from the report done by the previous PAC.

“While the A-G’s audited report was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the previous PAC tabled its own findings on 1MDB.

“As such, the current PAC will review the uncut draft version to verify the A-G’s audited report,” the source said.

In March 2015, the Cabinet under the previous administration called for the National Audit Department to conduct an audit on 1MDB accounts with the report subsequently submitted to PAC in July that year.

However, in March 2016, the A-G’s audited report was classified under the OSA, a month before PAC tabled its own 1MDB report in Parliament.

In May this year, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ordered the 1MDB audited report to be declassified with Parliament deciding in August that the newly formed PAC re-open its probe into the 1MDB scandal.

PAC deputy chairman Wong Kah Woh confirmed that they are reviewing the A-G report to see if certain individuals had given instructions to alter some of its findings.

“The PAC will meet next Tuesday to decide on how to proceed with the review,” he said.

Wong said PAC will go ahead with its initial plans to call former A-G Tan Sri Ambrin Buang to testify once the dates for the PAC inquiry are fixed.

“Ambrin was supposed to have been the first person called on Oct 29 but the hearing was postponed due to a sub judice issue.

“However, after consulting Attorney General Tommy Thomas last Friday, the PAC hearing is good to go,” he said.

Besides the A-G’s audited report, Wong said PAC will also look at the former PAC 1MDB report and 1MDB internal audited accounts.

Wong, who is also the Ipoh Timur MP, raised the tampering issue when he debated the Mid Term Review on the 11th Malaysia Plan in Parliament on Oct 29.

Ambrin and former PAC chairman Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin have since denied their reports were tampered with.