Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): DAP’s Tony Pua has accused Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dauk Seri Azalina Othman of lying in Parliament that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman has informed or shown its members of any letter from Bank Negara Malaysia which stated that the information provided to the PAC was confidential and not for public consumption.

In a statement today, Pua alleged that Azalina, in her response to a question to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak posed by the MP for Bagan, Lim Guan Eng, claimed that the PAC Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin has received information from Bank Negara (BNM) which claimed that the information provided by BNM was “confidential” and not meant to be used for the court of law or for public consumption:

"Pengerusi PAC (Datuk Hasan Arifin) menerima maklumat daripada Bank Negara Malaysia yang menyatakan bahawa segala maklumat yang diberi adalah berstatus 'sulit bagi tujuan risikan sahaja dan bukan untuk kegunaan mahkamah atau laporan awam."

He said that she further claimed that PAC members have been informed of the above letter from the Deputy BNM Governor:

“Untuk makluman, semua anggota PAC telah dimaklumkan mengenai perkara ini melalui surat Pengerusi PAC kepada Timbalan Gabenor Bank Negara bertarikh 6 April.”

Pua, who is also MP for Petaling Jaya Utara said: “Let me state in unequivocal terms that Datuk Azalina Othman’s reply is at best misleading, at worst an outright lie with regards to the above matter.”

Pua said that the PAC had its final meeting which approved the final PAC Report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for publication on April 4. 

The report was tabled in Parliament 3 days later on the April 7.

Pua said Hasan Arifin had never at any point of time communicated with the PAC members on any developments subsequent to the meeting on the April 4. 

“Hence PAC members were shocked to discover upon perusing the tabled report that two crucial lines in the report was deleted unilaterally by the PAC Chairman,” he said.

Pua said the deleted lines quoted an earlier Bank Negara clarification letter to the PAC, which stated that Good Star Limited, a recipient of US$1.03 billion of 1MDB funds meant for the latter’s investment with Petrosaudi International Limited, was “a company owned by an individual unrelated to Petrosaudi International”.

Pua alleged that the deleted lines clearly indicate a brazen case of misappropriation by 1MDB which also proves the allegations made by the 1MDB critics such as The Sarawak Report, The Edge, The Wall Street Journal and opposition critics.

“The question then is, what exactly are the damaging contents of this letter dated 6 April which is so “confidential” and cannot be shared with the public?

“What is even more interesting however, is how come the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department is privy to a letter from the Deputy Bank Negara Governor to the PAC Chairman dated 6 April when the members of the PAC are completely clueless above the matter?”

“Is there now a collusion between the PAC Chairman and the Prime Minister’s Department to cover up the entire scandal by scheming a coordinated response to the clear cut abuse of power by Datuk Hasan Arifin?” said Pua.

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