PARLIAMENT should set up a special select committee to monitor the government’s efforts to recover cash and assets related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd and SRC International Sdn Bhd, said DAP’s Tony Pua.

The Damansara MP proposed that the committee be included as a resolution in Ahmad Maslan’s (Pontian-BN) motion of thanks for the royal address, which is in the winding-up stage in the Dewan Rakyat.

“I hope the speaker will accept this addition to Pontian’s motion of thanks,” Pua told a press conference in the Parliament building today.

He said he has sent a notice on the matter to Azhar Azizan Harun’s office, and hopes it will be accepted for debate on Monday.

Explaining why he is seeking the panel’s formation, Pua said the Perikatan Nasional government has entered into a number of questionable settlements relating to 1MDB and investment bank Goldman Sachs.

“Take the Goldman Sachs settlement recently, where it was agreed that they would pay Malaysia US$2.5 billion and guarantee the assets returned would reach US$1.4 billion.

“But, former attorney-general Tommy Thomas said the government had asked for US$7.5 billion. And, it’s odd that the government concluded the settlement before the case came up in court.”

He said the opposition is also concerned about a possible settlement with International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which the Pakatan Harapan government sued in 2018.

The suit was to undo a settlement reached between the Abu Dhabi firm and 1MDB a year before under Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional administration, which would have seen 1MDB repay IPIC US$1.2 billion.

“Although the new attorney-general said there’s no settlement yet, we are concerned that they will settle the case even though we’ve sued in London,” said Pua, who was political secretary to finance minister Lim Guan Eng in the PH government. – August 5, 2020.