Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): The Public Accounts Committee's (PAC) newly appointed chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin today said the committee will summon key witnesses in its continued investigations into the operations of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) "as soon as possible".

The key witnesses include current 1MDB president and group executive director Arul Kanda Kandasamy, its former chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Halmi, and former Tadmax Resources Bhd chairman Abdul Azim Zabidi.

Hasan also said PAC will place businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, under its "person we should call" list.

"We have discussed the framework set by the former PAC chairman," Hasan told pressmen in a press conference today, adding that the PAC will continue with its proceedings by calling all the witnesses.

Hasan said the hearing date has yet to be fixed, but assured that the PAC will summon the witnesses as soon as possible.

"We will call them (witnesses), although the Auditor General (AG) has yet to complete the final report on 1MDB's investigation," he added.

The AG had, on July 9, issued an interim report on the troubled state-owned strategic investment fund, saying the department had found nothing suspicious with 1MDB's financials.

But former PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan, who received the interim report from the AG that day, had noted that 1MDB had not handed over some important documents, including bank statements and agreement papers, to the audit department.

Responding to this, Hasan said he believed the AG was in the midst of getting all the documents for the department's final report, which was scheduled to be released by the end of the year.

On whether is it appropriate for DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, who is also a PAC member, to proceed with a live debate with Arul Kanda, Hasan said it was up to Pua to decide.

"I do not have any stand (on this). It is up to Pua to decide if he wants to go ahead or not," Hasan said, but described his statement as a "very strong statement" to Pua.

1MDB has amassed RM42 billion in debt since it started operations in 2009, and is currently having its books audited by the National Audit Department, besides being investigated by other authorities for alleged financial improprieties.

In early October, Bank Negara Malaysia had revoked three approvals granted to 1MDB to invest US$1.83 billion abroad due to failures to make mandatory declarations, and ordered it to repatriate the funds.

The central bank had also pressed the Attorney-General's office to prosecute 1MDB for the violations, which the Attorney-General had declined, citing no offence had been committed.

 

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