This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on March 22, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: News or information relating to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) not verified by the authorities is considered fake, according to Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari.

"In regard to fake information relating to 1MDB, brought up by [members of parliament (MPs) of] Sungai Petani and Wangsa Maju, for your information, generally, [the] definition of fake news is news that has been verified as not true by the authorities, as well as parties with expertise in a specific issue," he said in Parliament yesterday.

Further, he said the 1MDB case had been investigated by the police and the Attorney General's (AG) Chamber.

"Investigation reports have also been presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a bipartisan parliamentary committee. The proceedings were undertaken transparently, [and] the Hansard and [the PAC] report can be read on Parliament's website. [The] PAC's recommendations have been accepted [and] undertaken fully by the government, and 1MDB's asset rationalisation process has been well executed," he added.

As such, Jailani, presenting his wrap-up speech during the debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address, said the government views that other than information verified by the authorities, any information beyond that are recognised as fake information.

"On1MDB, various government agencies, be it the AG or the PAC, have concluded [their investigations]. It is just that different aspects of it are being brought up repeatedly by MPs from the other side (the opposition). If you don't believe these agencies, please trust your own colleague: Kepong [MP Tan Seng Giaw, also PAC's deputy chairman] had stated clearly that the prime minister is not involved in the case. It is the management to be blamed."

Jailani was referring to Tan who said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was just 1MDB's advisory board chairman and was not involved in the company's dealings, when the PAC presented the findings of its probe into 1MDB in April 2016.

Jailani also provided updates on the draft bill to regulate fake news dissemination, currently being fine-tuned by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, with input from stakeholders such as the Bar Council, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia and the National Union of Journalists.

Azalina, he said, will provide further information on the matter in her wrap-up speech today.

"As for now, the government has established a Cyber Crime Special Committee, in November last year, chaired by the communications and multimedia minister himself to battle cybercrime including the dissemination of fake information. Since its establishment, 154 cases have been investigated, with 16 of them charged in court," he added.