KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should use his fondness of issuing statements on Facebook to explain why he allowed a Chinese firm to receive 85 per cent payment from two projects worth RM9.4 billion for 13 per cent of the work, said Lim Guan Eng.

Lim, who succeeded Najib as finance minister, disclosed today the discovery of the new financial scandal tucked away in his ministry’s so-called “red files”.

Before the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal has been resolved, Lim’s ministry unearthed potential abuse in two pipeline contracts involving Finance Ministry subsidiary Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd (SSER).

Under the agreements, the Chinese firm contracted was paid RM8.3 billion out of the total RM9.4 billion value despite only completing 13 per cent of the work.

“I wish to invite our former prime minister and finance minister to explain what and how the transactions related to SSER were approved by him.

“Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been active recently on Facebook,” Lim said in a statement.

Najib has used his Facebook page to issue statements disputing Lim’s previous declaration that Malaysia carried over RM1 trillion in liabilities, which the latter has blamed on the excesses of the former PM’s administration.

Among others, Najib accused Lim of recklessness in arriving at such figures and of using the number as an excuse for Pakatan Harapan not to deliver on its election manifesto pledges.

The former prime minister also claimed that Lim was not including all the necessary context and details in his revelations, asserting that the finance minister neglected to state that 1MDB’s debts were backed by around RM30 billion in assets, among others.

Since he was sworn in as finance minister, Lim has made repeated disclosures regarding 1MDB including, but not limited to, the nearly RM7 billion his ministry paid directly to the state investment firm’s creditors last year alone.

In today’s revelation, Lim alleged that the Prime Minister’s Department during Najib’s time directly negotiated the two agreements with China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPB) in November 2016.

The contracts were then signed by former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Irwan Serigar, who was removed from the position shortly after Pakatan Harapan won the 14th general election.