Opposition members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today reminded the committee’s chief Hasan Arifin that the power to table the auditor-general’s report lies with the PAC.

They pointed out that the auditor-general had only asked that the report be classified under Official Secrets Act (OSA) until the PAC’s report on 1MDB is presented in Parliament and this was even acknowledged by Hasan.

Therefore, the power to present the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB lies with the PAC, the PAC’s opposition members said.

“He (Hasan) will only write a letter to the executive to ask whether they will declassify the report.

“We believe the power to table the auditor-general’s report lies with the PAC because our own report had picked some information from the auditor-general’s report," said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua who read the joint statement in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Apart from Pua, the statement was issued by PAC deputy chief Tan Seng Giaw as well as the committee’s other opposition members PKR MPs Kamarul Baharin Abbas, William Leong and PAS’ Takiyuddin Hassan.

Hasan yesterday said any decision to declassify the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB will only be made by the cabinet.

The Rompin MP said the PAC has no say on whether the 1MDB audit report would be declassified or otherwise.

[More to follow]