(May 28): DAP's Tony Pua today took the Finance Ministry to task for giving "irrelevant answers" on his queries on troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in the last three days, saying that the ministry should not be relying on answers from the debt-laden firm.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said two of his queries on 1MDB saw the Finance Ministry citing information given by the 1MDB management to the ministry.

Pua said this was highly irresponsible as it meant the answers are based on hearsay.

"The ministry is supposed to furnish us with correct answers and not supposed to say 'based on information given by 1MDB management'.

"They have to be certain of the answer because parliament is the highest legislative body in the land. The answers make a mockery of parliament's authority," he said at the Parliament lobby today.

Pua questioned if the ministry was trying to disassociate itself from the controversial state investment vehicle, after the flap over the status of its US$1.103 billion (RM4.02 billion) funds currently being kept in BSI Bank in Singapore.

In a written reply to Pua last week, the ministry said the redeemed money from Cayman Islands was an asset in US dollars.

In March, it was stated in another parliamentary reply to Pua that the money was in cash form.

Criticism has been mounting over the Finance Ministry wholly owned investment vehicle which has chalked up debts of up to RM42 billion, backed by Putrajaya.

The Auditor-General is looking through 1MDB's books with a preliminary report expected to be submitted to the Parliament in June, while Public Accounts Committee (PAC) started its investigation into the company last Tuesday. – The Malaysian Insider