KUALA LUMPUR - The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) must question Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz over 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Tony Pua said today when disputing chairman Datuk Hasan Ariffin’s assertion that only two witnesses are left to testify.
The Petaling Jaya Utara MP expressed surprise over Hasan’s announcement over the matter yesterday, insisting that the PAC had never discussed the issue prior to the chairman’s announcement.
The PAC member insisted that there remained others whose testimony was relevant to the ongoing investigations into the state-owned firm.
“Those who should be called by the PAC includes but are not limited to Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz and another (1MDB) former chief executive officer, Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman.
“It is crucial for the PAC to hear directly from Tan Sri Zeti and her Bank Negara officials because the Central Bank has via a statement in October last year, revoked three permissions granted to 1MDB under the Exchange Control Act 1953 (ECA) for investments abroad totalling US$1.83 billion,” Pua said in a statement today.
He added that Hazem’s testimony was equally crucial as he had overseen the US$3 billion (RM12.5 billion) bond issue via Goldman Sachs as well as the purchase of the RM1.2 billion of encumbered land in Penang and the failure of the initial public offering of 1MDB’s energy arm.
Pua added that Hazem had been scheduled to appear when the PAC was still chaired by Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed. Nur Jazlan resigned when he was appointed deputy home minister.
The PAC’s investigations had been temporarily suspended until Hasan was named as Nur Jazlan’s replacement last year.
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Others who were formally requested to testify before the PAC included tycoon Low Taek Jho, the DAP national publicity secretary said when urging Hasan to discuss the issue of further witnesses with the PAC at the next meeting.
Hasan reportedly said yesterday that only two witnesses were still to appear before the PAC closes its investigation into 1MDB: former chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and former chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh.
The PAC began investigating 1MDB last March following a directive from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. - Malay Mail
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