Ambrin tells why 1MDB audit that could finish in 5 months ‘took almost a year’

Former auditor-general Ambrin Buang also said he had to use the Official Secrets Act when the 1MDB interim report was leaked to the public in 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Audit Department (NAD), faced many obstacles, including a delay in obtaining original and important documents to confirm financial transactions involving 1MDB, the High Court heard today.

Former auditor-general Ambrin Buang said this limitation had a significant impact on the audit exercise to determine the true financial position and operations of the government-linked company.

“The management accounts for the year ending March 31, 2015 and bank statements from foreign banks were not handed to us,” he said when examined by deputy public prosecutor Rozaliana Zakaria.

He said there was no access to computers, notebooks and servers in 1MDB to get the data and information for cross reference and analysis during the audit period.

“I felt the audit exercise was an uphill task. What could have taken five months to complete took almost a year,” said the sixth witness testifying in the 1MDB audit report tampering trial of Najib Razak.

Ambrin also said he had to use the Official Secrets Act (OSA) when the 1MDB interim report was leaked to the public in 2015.

Ambrin said the classified information might have been leaked by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) secretariat.

“When this happened, the NAD discussed with the chief government security officer to suggest the report come under the OSA,” he said.

Ambrin, said he then directed that the document be classified until the final report was submitted to the PAC.

He said on March 5, 2015, the Cabinet decided that the NAD should verify the accounts of 1MDB and its report submitted to the PAC.

“We were to verify the audited financial statements of 1MDB and to see whether the company stayed true to the original objective of its formation,” he said.

Earlier, on Feb 27, 2015, the PAC had also called on the NAD to conduct an audit on 1MDB, Ambrin said.

He said 12 officers were appointed to conduct the audit exercise which started from March 9, 2015 to March 5, 2016.

Ex-prime minister Najib Razak is accused of using his position to obtain immunity from legal action in relation to allegations that he tampered with the 1MDB audit report between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.

The alleged offence took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya.

The then CEO of the government linked company Arul Kanda Kandasamy is charged with abetting.

Hearing before trial judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan adjourned to Wednesday. - FMT