Ex-PAC chairman defends omissions in 'flawed' 1MDB probe

Chan Kok Leong Chan Kok Leong Updated 7 years ago · Published on 16 Aug 2018 9:17PM · 8 Comments

Former PAC chairman Hasan Ariffin fails to answer a question on why Najib Razak was not called to testify in the investigation into 1MDB, in the Dewan Rakyat, today. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, August 16, 2018.

THE name of the owner of Good Star Ltd was omitted at the last minute from the final Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd because the information was not meant for the public, said former PAC chairman Hasan Ariffin.

“Good Star could not be proven to belong to Low Taek Jho at the time,” said Hasan during a debate on a motion for PAC and the auditor-general to reopen the 1MDB investigation, in Parliament, today.

“The information from Bank Negara Malaysia was based on intelligence and could not be shared with the public. It also did not confirm that Good Star belonged to Low,” said the Rompin MP. 

Hasan was responding to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s statement that Parliament needed to have the PAC reopen the probe into 1MDB as the previous investigation was flawed.

Lim said Hasan had omitted a fact from the final report without the knowledge of the other PAC members and had also kept the BNM letter from them.

“I did not include the BNM letter (in the report) to protect the integrity of PAC,” said Hasan.

At this juncture, former PAC member Tony Pua (PH-Damansara) asked Hasan why he had ordered a last-minute omission from the PAC report without consulting the other PAC members.

The report was released on April 7, 2016 without consulting other PAC members.

“The letter (about the ownership of Good Star) came one day before the PAC report was printed and since it said the information was based on intelligence only, we had to change the report,” said Hasan. 

“How to inform other PAC members when I only received the letter a day before the report goes to print?”

Pua said PAC had wanted to question Low and former prime minister Najib Razak who was then 1MDB chairman but was blocked by Hasan and other PAC members from Barisan Nasional.

“Before Rompin was appointed we wanted to question Jho Low. But in the first meeting, he said there was no need to interview Jho Low,” said Pua.

Pua said Hasan had prevented PAC from questioning Najib, who had signed many of the 1MDB documents.

“He said that Najib was not involved,” said Pua.

A visibly agitated Hasan at this point said it would be better to refer their disagreement to a select committee as it was pointless to argue in Parliament.

“I did not ask to question Jho Low; we could not locate him. If the police could not find him, how could we? As for the international investigations, we had to follow protocol and could not get involved,” said Hasan.

Hasan, however, did not answer why Najib was not called to testify in PAC’s probe. – August 16, 2018.

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Comments

  • Yah yah.....keep playing the same record..... bastards

    Posted 7 years ago by Hemanth Kumar Arumugam · Reply

  • Useless Hassan try to cover up things or don't have the intelligence to do things. Really hopeless also.

    Posted 7 years ago by Will Be Humble · Reply

  • When day of reckoning comes...You answer to GOD....not it's your time....continue with all you do...GOD IS GREAT....you will pay..

    Posted 7 years ago by Lakshmi Ganthan · Reply

  • Sad thing is that..your family & descendants will have to pay for the sins we commit now...

    Posted 7 years ago by Lakshmi Ganthan · Reply

  • Jgn la saya pun nak cari makan juga..

    Posted 7 years ago by Mohamed Zaimir · Reply

  • Just look at that face! Mongrel!

    Posted 7 years ago by Watchdog Watchdog · Reply

  • Just look at the face of a TRAITOR.

    Posted 7 years ago by Shaikh karim · Reply

  • hasan was promise lots of from money is king najis najib.

    Posted 7 years ago by Danial Abdullah · Reply