KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — DAP lawmaker Tony Pua questioned today the status of the police investigation on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), pointing out that Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar have issued contradictory statements on the matter.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP noted that Zahid had told Parliament that investigation papers on the debt-laden state-owned company have been referred to the Attorney-General on March 9 and that the case has been classified under Section 409 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust.

Khalid, head of the police force that is under the purview of Zahid’s ministry, however reportedly said on June 4 that the investigation on 1MDB was still under way and that the public should give the authorities time to complete the probe.

“The glaring question therefore is, how is it that Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi could inform the Parliament that the police have completed their probe into 1MDB and the investigation papers have been sent to the A-G on March 9 this year when everything the IGP has publicly announced points to the complete [opposite]?” Pua said in a statement.

“Or is this another example of the Home Ministry’s left hand being totally clueless about what the right hand is doing, a state of affair which is becoming the norm rather than the exception in the Najib administration?” the opposition MP added.

Pua noted that Khalid had said on March 9 itself that the Attorney-General has set up a new task force to investigate 1MDB, comprising the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

“We are investigating those reports lodged,” Pua quoted Khalid as saying that day.

The DAP publicity chief also highlighted a report by national news agency Bernama on March 22 that quoted the IGP as saying that the special squad investigating 1MDB “felt that we should undertake an investigation without having to wait for the report of the National Audit Department”.

1MDB, which is facing a huge debt burden of RM42 billion, is also under investigation by the Auditor-General, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and Bank Negara.