Pua doubts 1MDB’s ‘openness’ to be investigated

Tony Pua reminds that 1MDB scrupulously hid information and avoided scrutiny in the past.

PETALING JAYA: While welcoming the move by 1MDB to be open to any investigations into their affairs, DAP’s National Publicity Secretary Tony Pua reminded that the company was unwilling to answer any questions on its alleged improprieties in the past.

Commenting on 1MDB’s “sudden purported openness” Pua said, “This is despite the fact that prior to the police report, 1MDB had conducted itself in a completely opposite fashion, scrupulously hiding information and avoiding scrutiny over its various controversial transactions.”

He was referring to the police report a Penang UMNO leader lodged against the company last Friday.

Pua, who is also Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara, said that in the past even Prime Minister Najib Razak was tight lipped over queries regarding the US$2.32 billion in Cayman Islands, only saying that “licensed financial institutions” were managing the funds there.

“If the Prime Minister refused even to be accountable to the Parliament, can we really expect 1MDB to ‘open up’ to the Commercial Crimes Department?” Pua asked.

He also pointed to the Deputy Finance Minister who made a slip up over the US$3 billion “letter of support” that was raised in Parliament.

Pua said, “Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Ahmad Maslan had attempted to mislead Parliamentarians by claiming that the letter of support “did not exist” before being forced into an embarrassing retraction and apology.”

Pua recounted the “many other baffling transactions 1MDB has refused to explain in any detail” about including its US$1 billion investment in Petrosaudi Internaional, the RM4 billion in SRC International and the “controversial 10% of proceeds from bonds raised which were paid to Goldman Sachs International as ‘certain commissions, fees and expenses’”.

Saying this was just the “tip of the iceberg”, Pua suggested that 1MDB also relent to an investigation by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Auditor-General.

Recalling that the previous two meetings with PAC in 2011 was unfruitful due to 1MDB refusing to disclose information of any kind, Pua added, “Hence the BN Government led by Najib Razak must stop hemming and hawing, and instead take the bull by the horns to offer themselves for scrutiny by the PAC and the Auditor-General.”