THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was yesterday told that the final 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report was not tampered with and that the “untampered” report exposed by Auditor General Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad last week was “merely a draft”.
PAC committee members were also told by former auditor general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, who had signed off on the final 1MDB report, that changes were made in the draft — there were 10 in total — as “certain developments had allowed for it (to be removed)” or that the information was “irrelevant and made no effect towards the probe”, sources familiar with the proceedings told the New Straits Times.
It was not immediately known what the 10 changes were.
“Throughout the four-hour-long proceedings, Ambrin maintained that the report wasn’t tampered with and that no one had influenced him (to do so). The report presented to PAC was the final one. According to the law, there is nothing wrong if the report is amended before it is submitted as the final report.
“He maintained that there is no other version of the final report,” a source said.
Ambrin had, in October, stood by the final 1MDB report and denied that alterations had been made to the document. He was quoted as saying, “Nothing was changed”.
The document was then under his full control. It was finalised and presented to PAC on March 4, 2016.
Last week, Madinah revealed that two crucial omissions were made to the report — one on the presence of businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, at a meeting of 1MDB board of directors, and the other, on the financial status of 1MDB.
She claimed that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak knew that critical parts of the report were redacted.
Sources said Ambrin told PAC that he did not compromise his position as the auditor general in the presence of former chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, former prime minister Najib and 1MDB chief executive officer and president Arul Kanda Kandasamy.
Ambrin, the sources said, stated that it was normal to communicate with the people being audited as they needed to obtain information and data.
“He denied being influenced by anyone or any groups. This is expected as he needs to uphold his integrity,” a source said.
Sources said Ambrin was “relaxed and professional, not agitated” when giving his statement to the committee.
PAC members, however, remained unsatisfied with the reasons behind the changes.
“Some of the reasons behind the removal made no sense. One of the major changes involved the meeting of two people. If that was removed, does this mean new evidence proves they never met? If it was irrelevant, why was it in the draft in the first place?
“The committee will call him again, together with his audit team, for their statement to be taken,” a source said.
Another set of sources said now that Ambrin had given his statement, the committee will today listen to Madinah’s.
“The committee has heard from Ambrin. He has already discharged his duties.
“Now, they will have to listen to what Madinah has to say. But there are already contradictions in their statements,” a source said, referring to Ambrin’s stand on the 1MDB final audit report and what Madinah had revealed last week.
PAC chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said Ambrin cooperated well with the committee on its inquiry into the possible tampering of 1MDB’s final audit report.
“He provided us with good cooperation and his many statements will help PAC (in our investigation),” he said after the meeting.
He confirmed that the committee would call Ambrin and his audit team to know more details about the process of writing the report and required information.
Kiandee said investigations were at a premature stage, adding that they would know more today as PAC would have a session with Madinah and former government sector audit director Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad tomorrow.
The NST was informed that the National Audit Department is now “split into two”, with one team believing that the report was amended and another team standing by Ambrin’s statement that it was not tampered with.
PAC members had urged all involved to come clean and tell the truth as the matter was now out in the open.
“We will get to the bottom of 1MDB. Not only PAC, but also the courts. Thus, it is better for everyone to cooperate for the betterment of the country,” one of the members was heard as saying.