The dahy might finally come: Prime Minister Naijb Razak could possibly appear in front of a formal inquiry on the scandals surrounding sovereign development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is in the process of investigating the goings-on within 1MDB, is considering asking the PM to give his statement on the matter to assist in its probe.
Before that can happen, however, the PAC will exhaist all other avenues and call up other individuals with possible information on 1MDB’s operations.
PAC chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed told The Star Online‘s Dina Murad that at present, the committee was going through its interviews with 1MDB’s auditors, Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young.
Deloitte and KPMG have been served letters via the Finance Ministry requesting them to meet with the PAC on June 10 and June 17.
Ernst & Young would be called up to meet with the PAC at a date to be determined later.
“Please be patient. First, we call the supervising officer to determine which is the ministry in charge,” Nur Jazlan said.
“Then we will call the management. They did not turn up but they are going to. Next, we are going to call the auditors and then we will call the board.”
He added that his committee is required to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice via the Finance Ministry for witnesses to be called.
“Once we get all the information, we can decide who to call next and that may include the Prime Minister.
“However, we must follow the steps.”
Najib also serves as Finance Minister, whose ministry wholly owns 1MDB. He also sits as the chair of 1MDB’s board of advisers.
Thus far, both the current group executive director and president of 1MDB Arul Kanda Kandasamy and former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi have failed to appear before the PAC on the datesset aside for them, citing overseas work engagements.
On May 19, the PAC began its investigations by interviewing Treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who is also a member of 1MDB’s board of advisers, and Economic Planning Unit director-general Dr Rahmat Bivi Abdulla.
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