Ali Hamsa surprised NAD officer recorded meeting, says might be unethical

AUDIT TAMPERING TRIAL | Former chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa testified at the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he was surprised to learn that a National Audit Department officer had recorded a meeting intended to discuss changes to be made in the department's audit report on 1MDB.

Ali (above) said this while being cross-examined by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's 1MDB audit report tampering trial.

He was asked about the action of NAD officer Nor Salwani Muhammad who had placed an audio recording device in her colleague's pencil case to be brought into the meeting on Feb 24, 2016, which has now become a piece of key evidence in the case.

Shafee: Were you surprised a junior officer recorded the meeting?

Ali: I was surprised.

Shafee: Was it unethical?

Ali: Everyone in the room did not know there was a recording, so at that time, it could be unethical

In her previous testimony in the trial, Salwani testified (photo) that she had the meeting recorded as she was required to take minutes of the meeting for the NAD but yet was not allowed in. 

Then auditor-general Ambrin Buang had also told the court that he brought the entire 12-person 1MDB audit report team to the meeting with Ali and other officials but only one another NAD officer was allowed to accompany him in the meeting. 

Asked about this, Ali said the order not to allow other NAD officers into the meeting did not come from him.

However, he said he was unsure if his officer had made any such instructions. 

Ali added that the meeting room at his office in Putrajaya was small.

Shafee then asked if there were any complaints from the NAD on that day, to which Ali said there was none.

Ali said he could have considered having more chairs if there was a request to have the whole NAD team in the meeting but no such request was made.

[More to follow] - Mkini