We launched own 1MDB probe after issue turned political, says PAC chief
(The Malaysian Insider) – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) opened their own investigation into troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) without waiting for the Auditor-General’s (A-G) report as the issue had turned political, its chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said.
He said although the bipartisan committee had initially wanted to wait for the A-G’s report, they unanimously decided to launch their own proceedings when accusations were thrown against Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno in particular.
“Many have questioned why PAC had not waited for the A-G’s report that will present its initial findings to the committee at the end of June.
“PAC wanted to wait but decided to begin 1MDB proceedings after taking into account many factors that has caused concern to the people, and especially when it changed to a political issue with many accusations thrown against BN and Umno,” the Umno lawmaker wrote in his column in The Malaysian Insider today.
The crisss surrounding the state investment fund invited all sorts of criticism and perception, and has become an “ammunition” for Pakatan Rakyat to attack the BN government, Nur Jazlan said.
“It has been the main ammunition for PR to slam the BN government, especially Putrajaya under Datuk Seri Najib Razak in administration, financial management and abuse of power and has now spiralled to the private and family issues of the government’s No 1 leader,” he added.
Nur Jazlan said the parliamentary committee was part of the legislative arm and had powers and responsibilities according to law, to investigate any government-owned company that used the people’s money or any public funds.
“And this investigation on 1MDB is not the first the PAC, led by me, has done, we have launched proceedings on the klia2 project last year,” he added.
“Taking that example, the PAC took almost a year to complete the report which was eventually presented to the Dewan Rakyat last November.”
