GEORGE TOWN (Sept 23): State investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has lauded the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw’s `profound’ advice to seek proof before making accusations.

The beleaguered fund expressed hope this advice would be prescribed to its fiercest critic, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.

“1MDB welcomes this profound advice of the eight-term MP for Kepong (Tan) as timely and wise, to seek proof before making accusations and to uphold the rule of law, that one is innocent until proven guilty.

“We trust YB Dr Tan will prescribe the same advice to his junior YB Tony Pua, who true to form, has issued another unproven allegation on 1MDB this morning,” it said in a statement.

Tan was quoted in The Malaysian Insider as saying that one should not make up accusations without evidence, when allegedly challenging Umno Youth exco member Armand Azha Abu Hanifah, who called for PAC’s dissolution, to show proof of leaking false information to foreign media.

In a recent statement, Armand had also called on the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate each panel member, following the alleged publishing of 1MDB information in Wall Street Journal news reports.

In response, Tan urged Armand to provide evidence and that the latter should not say things based on hearsay.

“Give it to me. If you can't produce the evidence, you shouldn't say such things," he said.

Meanwhile, Pua, who is also DAP national publicity secretary, was quoted in Free Malaysia Today as saying 1MDB’s failure to be transparent would only lead to justifiable speculation that nearly US$2 billion was `missing’.

Pua reportedly said this amount included US$1 billion allegedly paid to the International Petroleum Investment Corp but not acknowledged in the latter’s accounts, and US$1 billion apparently redeemed from Cayman Islands which immediately vanished.

To this, 1MDB said Pua’s claim to fame was recycling unproven allegations on the fund.

“He waits for an unproven and sensationalist allegation to be made, then piggyback on these allegations by repeating the same questions. When answers are given and facts shared, YB Tony Pua is proven wrong.

“However, he then ignores the facts, changes the topic and waits quietly for the next sensationalist and unproven allegation.

“We further trust YB Dr Tan to do the right thing, which YB Tony Pua refuses to do, that is demand a full and transparent enquiry on how confidential PAC documents landed in the laps of a foreign publication,” it said.