KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — Putrajaya’s move to classify the federal audit report on 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) is not an issue as it did not influence the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) investigation on the state fund, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said today.
The minister in the prime minister’s department stressed that the audit report was accessible by both government and opposition lawmakers in the panel.
She said this was indicative that the government was not withholding information as claimed by critics.
“The classification of the report does not necessarily mean PAC’s investigation was influenced by the decision as how the Opposition is attempting to portray and much of the panel’s findings were based on the report,” Azalina said in a statement.
“Opposition lawmakers in the panel had full access to the report which means there is no reason for it to be declassified. This is akin to calling for investigation papers to be revealed when prosecution had been concluded and punishment meted out,” she added.
The statement was issued in response to Opposition Leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who demanded the government declassify the report.
Azalina alleged the Opposition is trying to confuse the public by giving the impression that the government was withholding crucial information when its leaders called for the declassification of the report.
The Opposition push for the government to declassify the audit report followed the conviction of PKR’s Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli by the Sessions Court two days ago for breaching a secrecy law.
The PKR secretary-general had publicly discloses some of the Auditor General’s Report on the state fund.
Sessions Court judge Zulqarnain Hassan found Rafizi guilty on two charges of possessing and publicly disclosing the contents of a document on March 24 and March 28 this year that was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972.
