KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 26): Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng defended the government's decision to disclose there were amendments on the Auditor-General's (A-G) report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) as it is the people's right to know the truth.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament lobby today, Lim said while there were questions raised in regards to the government's motive in making such a disclosure as the case is still undergoing court proceedings, nobody seem to question Umno-owned newspaper Utusan, which published about the amendment two days ahead of the official announcement.

"What had happened was as stated by the A-G in her press statement. If you are talking about disclosing this, the people have the right to know the truth, and before the A-G issue the statement, I was shocked about how Utusan knew it first," he said.

"Is Utusan to be questioned whether it is reasonable to publish what they have disclosed two days ahead of the government's announcement? They even went to the extent to say that Najib and his officers have conducted treason. So please ask Utusan first before asking me whether it is reasonable to make such a disclosure," he added.

Yesterday, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's lawyer Tan Sri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah questioned A-G Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad's revelation on the alteration of 1MDB A-G's audit report.

Prior to that, Madinah confirmed that the original audit report on 1MDB issued in 2016 by the National Audit Department had been altered, and that orders to tamper with the report first came from Najib.