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Decoding Nancy - no outcome on 1MDB probe as long as Najib PM
Published:  Nov 30, 2015 3:19 PM
Updated: 12:02 PM

An opposition leader appears to have decoded the message behind de facto law minister Nancy Shukri's statement that no time frame has been set for the special task force to conclude its probe on 1MDB.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang claimed it meant there would be no outcome on the 1MDB probe, so long as Najib Abdul Razak is prime minister.

The veteran opposition leader also described Nancy's remarks as convoluted.

"Does any MP or anyone for that matter really understand what Nancy is actually trying to say? "he asked.

Nancy said while investigations are still ongoing, there are witnesses and documents to obtain, some of which are overseas.

Nancy said this in a written reply to a query from Zainudin Ismail (BN-Jelebu) who wanted to know the progress of the special taskforce probe.

She said the probe would be completed after the statements of all witnesses are recorded and related documents obtained.

Once completed, the report would be tabled to attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali for further action.

Meanwhile, according to Lim, the decoded message also applied for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is investigating 1MDB as well.

"Make no mistake, this applies to the PAC as well, which explains the three-month derailment of continued PAC investigation into 1MDB in August, my six-month suspension from Parliament and the new PAC chairperson Hasan Arifin's disarmingly frank admission that he had to 'cari makan' when asked why Najib was not called as a star witness in the PAC probe into 1MDB," he said.

Hasan later clarified he used the term "cari makan" to state he was going to look for lunch and not to "earn a living" as interpreted by the media.

Lim said Nancy's answer is an "irresponsible dismissal" of the concern not only of Malaysians, but even the Malay Rulers, who wanted the 1MDB imbroglio resolved as soon as possible and action be taken against those implicated.

'PM must stop running away'

Training his guns on Najib, the Gelang Patah MP said the prime minister should cease dodging the matter.

"The prime minister, as the only person in government and the country who knows the ins-and-outs, from the beginning to the present, about the 1MDB mega scandal, should stop running away from a full and satisfactorily accounting for the RM2.6 billion and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.

"And he must do so in Parliament, which is in the last week of its six-week budget meeting," he added.

Nancy's response also courted flak from another DAP lawmaker, Gobind Singh Deo.

"It is irresponsible for the government not to impose a time frame on the probe as this is an issue of public interest, transparency in governance and it involves a huge amount of money.

"There should be time limits imposed. If investigations cannot be completed for good reason, then time can be extended," he said in a statement.

The Puchong MP said the report should also be tabled in Parliament for debate so as to enable public scrutiny into the extent and competence of the investigation.

"If not done, there cannot be public confidence in the special taskforce and its findings. It would therefore lose its purpose and be a waste of time and taxpayers' money," he added.

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