I was not the MACC chief then, Dzulkifli says on 1MDB audit ‘tampering’ incident

Former MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad today said that his presence at a 1MDB board meeting in February 2016, was not in his capacity as the anti-graft body’s head.

Instead, he explained that he was at the meeting as a legal officer from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), and that he was yet to be appointed to the MACC at that point in time.

“I want to address issues that make it seem that in February 2016, I was in the meeting, as the chief commissioner. I was not appointed then.

“I was just a legal officer working at the AGC. My involvement in the issue was just at the meeting, upon orders to represent the AGC,” he told reporters outside the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya today.

He exited the building about 3.30pm, after being grilled for about five hours by the graft-busters.

This was over allegations by auditor-general Madinah Mohamad on Nov 25 that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had allegedly ordered the original 1MDB audit report to be amended, in a meeting on Feb 22, 2016.

According to Madinah, parts of the audit report that were tampered with included those on 1MDB's 2014 financial statement and fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho's attendance at a 1MDB board of directors meeting.

Meanwhile, Dzulkifli added that he was not the first witness in the MACC’s probe in the matter.

“The MACC has called more than 15 witnesses, I’m one of the last called up in the probe,” he said, adding that he was done giving a statement to the MACC on the matter, and will not return for a second round.

Dzulkifli is not named in the chronological report provided by Madinah on the alleged tampering which is said to have taken place between February and March 2016.

While Dzulkifli only became MACC chief in August that year, he was indeed with the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) at the time of the alleged tampering.

As part of the AGC, Dzulkifli was also present at former attorney-general Mohamad Apandi Ali's press conference in January 2016.

It was at this press conference where Apandi had cleared Najib of wrongdoing in the 1MDB-linked RM2.6 billion scandal.

 - Mkini