Auditors blocked in probe

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s auditorgeneral told lawmakers that troubled state investment company 1Malaysia Development (1MDB) didn’t cooperate fully in handing over requested documents during a probe of its finances.

The interim report on 1MDB — which faces multiple investigations — didn’t show any suspicious activity, Public Accounts Committee Chairman Nur Jazlan Mohamed said. Prime Minister Najib Razak ordered the 1MDB investigation in March.

“There have been several documents which have not been forthcoming from 1MDB connected to investment agreements and bank transfers,” Nur Jazlan said after speaking to Auditor-General Ambrin Buang. “There were some hindrances faced by the A-G.”

Mr Ambrin told reporters the audit is about 50% done and he’s confident of obtaining more documents. 1MDB didn’t respond to an email seeking comments.

The report comes a day after a task force raided 1MDB’s offices as part of a separate investigation, removing documents and computers. It took ledgers, bank statements, agreements on investment and business dealings and minutes of board meetings, it said yesterday.

The debt-ridden company was at the centre of a Wall Street Journal report last Friday that said about US$700 million (23.8 billion baht) may have moved through government agencies and firms linked to 1MDB before apparently ending up in accounts bearing Mr Najib’s name. The crisis is the biggest to hit the premier — who says the claims are political sabotage — since he came to power in 2009.

“This is an interim report and there is nothing suspicious at this moment,” Nur Jazlan said. “It is still too early to come to any conclusion because the A-G will take until the end of the year to complete his work.”