DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang have questioned why the Public Accounts Committee's (PAC) report on the alleged mismanagement in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) did not include the auditor-general’s interim and final audit reports, which was core to the committee's investigation.

"The PAC is a committee of parliament which is delegated the responsibility to scrutinise the value for money – the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness – of public spending and holds the government and civil servants to account for the delivery of public services and submit reports to Parliament.

"The PAC does not exist on its own right and every document or report presented to the PAC is meant for final presentation to Parliament in the PAC report," argued the veteran DAP politician in a speech at a party function in Petaling Jaya today.

He pondered if PAC chairperson Hasan Arifin is possibly acting in "gross dereliction of duty" for failing to append the two audit reports to Parliament when presenting the PAC report on 1MDB.

Lim warned that the ‘twists and turns’ which saw the audit reports become secret documents, as well as the fact that they are not appended to the PAC findings on 1MDB which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, may make it seem that the government has something to hide.

Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said today the auditor-general's report on 1MDB cannot be tabled at this parliament session because the document has not been declassified .

Referring to what Hasan had said earlier - that the audit reports would cease to be a classified documents under the OSA if they were tabled in parliament - Lim argued that this would also lessen the charge against Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli who was arrested for disclosing a portion from the auditor-general's final audit report to the PAC.

"This would mean that Rafizi would at most, be guilty of a technical offence under the OSA for revealing what is in the auditor-general’s final audit report a few days before it was declassified, with the tabling of the PAC report on 1MDB today," he said noting that Rafizi’s supposed offence was not a serious threat to national security than it was made out to be.

Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP, also hit out at Hasan for not holding a press conference about the PAC report.

"A text message from the PAC secretariat to PAC members yesterday gave notification that the PAC chairperson would not be holding a press conference today after the tabling of the PAC report on 1MDB, as Hasan is ill and would only answer media questions on the PAC report on 1MDB in the next Dewan Rakyat meeting.

"What sickness is Hasan suffering from that he anticipated such a long illness?" he asked.

Lim also questioned why the PAC chief did not allow his deputy Kepong MP Tan Seng Giaw to conduct the press conference, as he was sick.

"I wish Hasan swift and full recovery, but PAC has a deputy chairperson, Tan, who should be able to stand in Hasan’s stead to conduct a media conference on the tabling of the PAC report on 1MDB," he said, asking if Hasan does not fully trust Tan.

Earlier today, the PAC tabled its report on debt-ridden government investment arm 1MDB, noting possible mismanagement in the company, purportedly by its management, that it calls for authorities to investigate and take legal action against company officers if an offence is apparent.