Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): Datuk Seri Najib Razak used his power as the then prime minister and finance minister in 2016 to amend a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report before it was deliberated by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), according to a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer.

Testifying at the High Court on Friday (Aug 12) before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan at the 1MDB audit tampering trial, MACC investigating officer Hanif Lami said his investigations led him to the conclusion that Najib had indeed used his power to order the amendments before it was supposed to be tabled at the PAC on Feb 24, 2016.

He also said former 1MDB president and chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy was complicit in the case with Najib regarding the amendments of the audit report.

Hanif, who was reading from his witness statement before the court, said Najib had instructed his former principal private secretary Tan Sri Shukry Salleh to obtain the completed audit report and hand it over to Arul Kanda to check.

“The second accused (Najib) then ordered that a meeting be had in his office in Putrajaya on Feb 22, 2016 [which] former auditor general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and former chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa had attended,” Hanif said.

He also elaborated that at this meeting, Najib asked Ali to set up a “clarification meeting” with the National Audit Department.

“…This meeting was set up because Najib wanted to discuss issues he was not happy with in the 1MDB audit report, the audit report was not to be printed until his (Najib’s) approval was given,” he said.

Hanif said his investigations led him to conclude that Najib and Arul Kanda had committed the offence of trying to tamper with the audit report to protect themselves from any civil or criminal actions related to 1MDB and its operations.

He then detailed that on Feb 24, 2016, on Najib’s instructions, a meeting was held. The meeting was attended by Ali, Shukry, Ambrin, Arul Kanda, former Finance Ministry deputy secretary general Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Isa Hussain, former director of audit Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad and Attorney General’s Chambers representative Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad.

The result of this meeting, Hanif said, was that four amendments were made to the audit report.

“As a result of the meeting, the 1MDB audit report which was tabled at the PAC on March 4 and 7 was amended on Najib’s instructions,” he testified.

After Hanif read his witness statement, Najib’s lawyer Rahmat Hazlan cross-examined the officer on the way the MACC had conducted the investigations.

He put to the witness that the MACC had begun its investigations into this matter in November 2018, and subsequently Najib was arrested by the MACC on Dec 10, 2018 while Arul Kanda was arrested a day after, on Dec 11.

Rahmat also said Najib had given his statement to the MACC on Dec 6, 2018.

“Based on the facts, this was all fast (the investigations). I suggest to you that Najib was not given a fair and full investigation,” Rahmat put to the officer.

However, Hanif said that he “did not agree” with the suggestion.

Hanif was not released from the stand as Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who was not present in court on Friday, will conduct further cross-examinations on the witness.

The trial will continue on Aug 18.

Najib is charged with abusing his power to amend the 1MDB audit report before it was submitted to the PAC to protect himself from disciplinary, civil and criminal actions while Arul Kanda is charged with abetting the former premier.

The charges are framed under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, which specifies a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Edited BySurin Murugiah
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