PUBLIC Accounts Committee (PAC) member Tony Pua has asked police to explain if they have investigated the US$1.03 billion (RM4.2 billion) transferred to Good Star Ltd, allegedly owned by elusive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.

“Have police investigated the US$1.03 billion transferred to Good Star? These transfers were confirmed by 1Malaysia Development Bhd itself, and are easily verified.

“Have police questioned witnesses from Bank Negara Malaysia, who have confirmed that Good Star belongs to Jho Low, consistent with all the findings exposed by the US Department of Justice?” he said during a press conference at the Parliament building today.

Pua (DAP-Petaling Jaya Utara) said a Bank Negara letter, dated April 4, 2016, to PAC confirmed that Good Star, which received US$1.03 billion directly from 1MDB, is not a subsidiary of 1MDB’s joint-venture partner, Petrosaudi International Ltd.

On May 26, 2016, the Finance Ministry, in a written parliamentary reply, said Good Star was owned by Petrosaudi International when it received US$1.03 billion from 1MDB.

It said based on the investment company’s records, Good Star belonged to the Middle Eastern firm when payments were made in 2009.

“The payments were made so that 1MDB could obtain a 40% stake in a joint venture. Petrosaudi also acknowledged receiving the payments, according to agreements that were made when the payments were transferred,” said the ministry.

Pua was responding to Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun’s statement that the RM1 billion luxury yacht Equanimity, owned by Low, was not impounded because of a civil forfeiture suit to confiscate 1MDB assets.

Fuzi said police investigations into 1MDB, based on PAC’s findings, which were tabled in Parliament in 2016, showed that Low never worked at the state investment fund.

In 2016, Pua and other opposition members of PAC claimed that committee chairman Hasan Arifin had unilaterally deleted a sentence stating that Good Star was, instead, owned by “an individual with no links to the Petrosaudi group”.

“Most recently, even the IGP concluded that there is no link between 1MDB and Jho Low, after investigating the PAC report on 1MDB,” said Pua.

“The Special Affairs Department, Jasa, further said PAC has exonerated both Jho Low and Najib Razak.

“Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari has decried all foreign press reports (on 1MDB) as fake news.

“There could not be bigger lies than the above spewed by government authorities.” – March 12, 2018.