KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak agreed that the auditor-general need not review the accounts of 1MDB, Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi told the High Court today.

The former 1MDB chief executive officer said Najib wrote to him on December 22, 2009 to say there was no need for the A-G to perform due diligence as the transfer of ownership from Terengganu Investment Authority to the state investment firm was already finalised.

"In this letter, it stated that Datuk Seri Najib acknowledged that the 1MDB board of advisers agree for the federalisation of TIA, as approved by the Cabinet, to become 1MDB was carried out a basis of as-is, where-is and there is no need for an audit and due diligence to be carried out by Auditor-General of Malaysia as the transfer of share ownership has been completed.

"Datuk Seri Najib also agreed with 1MDB board of advisers’ decision, that is 1MDB as a company incorporated according to the Companies Act 1965 must be audited by professional external auditors appointed by the board of directors and the need for the auditor-general to audit 1MDB does not rise at all,” Shahrol said of the letter by Najib.

The letter was also extended to the A-G at the time, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, then Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, and 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin.

Shahrol further explained that 1MDB was in the process of hiring its own auditors, namely renowned audit firm Ernst and Young, to carry out its due diligence, which is why Najib concurred with the board of directors’ decision that there is no need for federal auditors to audit the firm’s accounts.

Shahrol said in October 2010, the National Audit Department (JAN) had sent a letter to 1MDB, requesting additional documents on its accounts.

However, this request was also denied by both the 1MDB board of directors and Najib, said Shahrol.

He referred to a letter from 1MDB to Najib as the then prime minister, dated December 22, 2010, to officially deny the request by federal auditors.

"In this letter, I informed Najib about the request for additional documents by the audit team (JAN) where the BoD (board of directors) and Najib had agreed not to provide additional information that was requested by JAN,” he said.

Shahrol said that the contents of this letter were given to him by Low on the supposed reason that it was orders from Najib.