(May 28): DAP lawmaker Tony Pua has demanded two 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) senior executives to state their whereabouts following their absence from the Public Accounts Committee's (PAC) scheduled inquiry into the troubled company on Tuesday.

This followed PAC's announcement postponing its inquiry, as both president and group executive director Arul Kanda Kandasamy and former CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi could not attend as they were overseas for work.

"I want to know what meetings they have to attend overseas. Are they in Dubai? Or do they have to take a short flight to Singapore?

"Did they go together or separately? We want to know when they booked the flight, before or after notice was given for them to attend the inquiry," said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP at the Parliament lobby today.

Shahrol, now part of 1MDB's board of directors, was the company's first CEO from February 2009 to March 2013, while Arul was appointed in January this year.

Both are key witnesses in PAC's inquiry into 1MDB, which has incurred RM42 billion in debts in just six years of operations.

Pua, who sits in the PAC and is one of 1MDB's staunchest critics, said the parliamentary bipartisan committee would ask them these questions when the duo turns up at the inquiry, expected to take place next month.

Their absence was earlier conveyed to the PAC in a letter from the Finance Ministry last Friday, sparking criticism from DAP, a Barisan Nasional lawmaker, as well as Najib's brother, CIMB chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak who has in the past called for more accountability from 1MDB.

Najib, the finance minister and chairman of 1MDB's advisory board, had assured the two top executives will appear to testify before PAC.

"1MDB officials will appear before PAC, will not run away," he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

The two also confirmed they would attend the next meeting, adding that the date for their next appearance was being finalised.

“Both, Arul Kanda and Datuk Shahrol Halmi, look forward to appearing before the committee and having the opportunity to clarify 1MDB's position," Arul had said in a brief statement.

Criticism has been mounting over the Finance Ministry's wholly-owned investment vehicle, established in 2009, which has chalked up debts of up to RM42 billion, backed by Putrajaya.

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