PAC yet to decide if Najib will be called in 1MDB probe

Its chairman Ronald Kiandee says it is too early to determine who will be called by the committee.

PAC chairman Ronald Kiandee says the auditor-general will brief the committee on the extent of the previous probe on 1MDB. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has yet to decide whether former prime minister Najib Razak will be called to assist in the committee’s probe into 1MDB.

Its chairman Ronald Kiandee said it was too early to determine who should be called by the committee.

“It all depends on the terms of reference that will be determined later, together with investigation strategies.

“All will be revealed later,” he said at the PAC office in Parliament today.

Earlier, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng filed a motion in the Dewan Rakyat for investigations into the 1MDB scandal to be reopened.

The motion submitted by the Bagan MP also asked for all related information to be made public.

It also called on the auditor-general and the PAC to “conduct again a detailed investigation on the embezzlement of monies and the scandal with regards to 1MDB and its related companies in order to restore the dignity of the Dewan Rakyat”.

When asked to comment on the possibility of a fresh probe on the 1MDB, Kiandee said the PAC has the responsibility to investigate anything approved by the Parliament.

“PAC is under the Parliament. Definitely anything approved by the Parliament, PAC has to carry out investigations.

“If there is a motion to do so, we will do it.

“The A-G (auditor-general) will brief us on the extent of the previous investigations,” he said.

Kiandee said the PAC had also been instructed to carry out investigations on the goods and services tax (GST) refund shortfall.

“We will also have to investigate the recent Auditor-General’s Report,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked about Rompin MP Hasan Arifin, who was rejected as a PAC member, Kiandee said the opposition had found a replacement.

“A letter has been handed to the speaker and Parit Sulong Member of Parliament Noraini Ahmad will take up the position,” he said.

Earlier, the PAC team attended a briefing session with the National Audit Department, where A-G Madinah Mohamad was present. -FMT