Nur Jazlan: Najib may be called to assist 1MDB inquiry

(The Star) – The present and two former auditors of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) are to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) next month to assist in the inquiry into the government investment firm.

PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said letters have been sent to the Finance Ministry for Deloitte and previous auditor KPMG to meet the committee on June 10 and June 17.

He said the letters were sent to the ministry on Monday. Another previous auditor, Ernst & Young, would be called at a later date.

Nur Jazlan said PAC is required to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice via the supervising ministry, in this case the Finance Ministry, for witnesses to be called.

“Please be patient. First, we call the supervising officer to determine which is the ministry in charge.

“Then we will call the management. They did not turn up but they are going to. Next, we are going to call the auditors and then we will call the board,” he said.

“Once we get all the information, we can decide who to call next and that may include the Prime Minister.

“However, we must follow the steps,” he said in response to whether the PAC will be summoning Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The audited accounts of 1MDB had raised questions. Resignations by KPMG and Ernst & Young as auditors had compounded the intrigue over the state of accounts of the strategic investment company.

1MDB president and group executive director Arul Kanda Kandasamy, and former chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi failed to turn up for the inquiry on Tuesday. Both requested for another date.

The committee decided to allow Arul and Shahrol time but were warned against further delay or they may be cited for contempt. They are expected to face the PAC sometime in mid-June.

The bi-partisan PAC is conducting an inquiry into the debt and cashflow problems of 1MDB’s RM42bil debt.

The PAC began its probe on May 19 with Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Irwan Serigar Abdullah, also a 1MDB advisory board member, and Economic Planning Unit director-general Datuk Seri Dr Rahmat Bivi Abdulla.