Husni lied, A-G never cleared US$700m transfer in 1MDB probe, says Tony Pua
(MMO) – Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah had “blatantly lied” when he claimed the Auditor-General (A-G) had absolved any individual of wrongdoing in his early report on troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), DAP lawmaker Tony Pua said today.
Instead, the opposition MP claimed the contentious transfer of some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) funds out of the debt-riddled state investment firm as first reported by daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had raised flags among government auditors involved in the still-ongoing investigation on 1MDB.
“I have been very encouraged by the efforts which were made by the National Audit Department to discover the truth, despite the lack of cooperation given by 1MDB,” Pua, a member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said in a statement.
The Petaling Jaya Utara MP said he was stunned that the minister had jumped the gun on the interim report in his call for an end to the allegations against 1MDB that have been used to attack Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He noted that A-G Tan Sri Ambrin Buang had issued an embargo on PAC members on the confidential details of the interim report, pending the completion of its probe on 1MDB, expected at the end of the year.
“Why did the Minister have the special privilege of publicly commenting and concluding on the Interim Report when the PAC members were told to keep our mouths shut?
“What is worse however, is the fact that the Minister blatantly lied about the findings in the Auditor-General’s Report,” Pua said.
