KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) did not require Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz's testimony for its investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin said today.

Disputing PAC member Tony Pua's assertion that the panel must interview Zeti and another former 1MDB chief executive, Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, Hasan said neither would provide information that was otherwise unavailable.

Hasan explained that 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Lodin Wak Kamaruddin already provided information relating to Hazem's tenure, and that Lodin's higher position made his testimony more pertinent than what could be gained from the former CEO.

“Other than that, issues regarding 1MDB under Bank Negara have already been explained openly by 1MDB in the mass media and it has also been explained by the Attorney-General, which was also widely and openly reported,” Hasan said in a statement today.

The PAC chairman also told Pua that the reason why the former was concluding interviews over 1MDB was because the Auditor-General will submit his final report on the firm at the end of the month, which will require the parliamentary watchdog to study the submissions.

Hasan reportedly said on Saturday that only two witnesses were still to appear before the PAC closes its investigation into 1MDB: former chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and former chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh.

Pua then came out to challenge this announcement, saying that the PAC had never discussed concluding its interview sessions prior to Hasan's remarks.

The DAP MP insisted that Zeti's testimony was needed to explain BNM's decision to revoke three permissions granted to 1MDB under the Exchange Control Act 1953 (ECA) for investments abroad totalling US$1.83 billion (RM7.59 billion).

He added that Hazem's testimony was equally crucial as he had overseen the US$3 billion bond issue via Goldman Sachs as well as the  purchase of the RM1.2 billion of encumbered land in Penang and the failure of the initial public offering of 1MDB’s energy arm.

Pua also added that Hazem had been scheduled to appear when the PAC had still been chaired by Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who later resigned when he was appointed deputy home minister.

The PAC began investigating 1MDB last March following a directive from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.