The new finance minister says certain 'red' files were only accessible to certain parties and this had impeded officials and auditors from carrying out their professional responsibilities with integrity.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng claims previous government had misrepresented financial situation to Parliament.
PETALING JAYA: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said he was shocked when senior Treasury officers told him they were unable to access certain accounts and reports.
“There were also complaints that certain ‘red’ files were only accessible to certain parties. This impeded officials and auditors from carrying out their professional responsibilities with integrity,” he said in a statement today.
He said his day began with a series of meetings with senior Treasury officials, led by deputy treasurer-general Siti Zauyah Mohd Desa and separately with Auditor-General Madinah Mohamad and her team.
He said it was clear that the previous government had indulged in “an exercise of deception to the public about certain hot-button items, especially 1MDB, and even misrepresented the financial situation to Parliament”.
“A thorough investigation and discovery is still ongoing to uncover the necessary financial information and data.”
Lim said he had directed that all accounts be made accessible to both the Treasury and the auditor-general in the interest of competency, accountability and transparency.
“Both the Treasury and the auditor-general will continue with the discovery of these files to give the federal government a clearer and more accurate picture of our financial position.
“Despite these challenges, I am optimistic and confident that we will be able to overcome these challenges and restore the financial health of the country.
“On a positive note, the Malaysian financial and banking system remains robust and well-capitalised.
“In addition, non-performing loans constitute less than 1% of the total loans portfolio.
“The fundamentals of the economy remain strong.
“Hence, once we are able to clean up the federal government finances, we will be able to further strengthen public and investor confidence in Malaysia.” -FMT
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