FINANCE Minister Lim Guan Eng said today he was shocked that Malay daily Utusan Malaysia reported on how former prime minister Najib Razak tampered with the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB before official confirmation.

“Even I am shocked how Utusan knew it before the auditor-general issued the statement,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today. 

Utusan on Friday quoted unnamed sources in a report that Najib had ordered amendments to the report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd handed over to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which probed into 1MDB in 2016.

The PAC eventually concluded that Najib, who oversaw the troubled state investor as finance minister then, could not be held accountable.

Auditor-General Madinah Mohamad confirmed Utusan’s report yesterday.

Lim said while he was shocked by Utusan’s move to report the news without confirmation, the “people have the right to know”.

Asked whether it was reasonable for Utusan to publish the news ahead of the confirmation, he said it is better to pose the question to the Bahasa Malaysia daily.

He declined to comment when asked if it was fair for the auditor-general to make public some of the amendments to the 1MDB report when the matter has been brought to court.

“I don’t want to comment because I don’t want to be tied to the controversy with Najib’s officer, but our aim is to speak the truth and to let the people know the truth.”

Lim added that there should be a balanced approach to the matter to ensure Malaysians know the truth. – November 26, 2018.