The Official Secret Act has been abused to protect the elite rather than the nation, said lawyer Haniff Khatri.

Haniff, who acts as legal counsel to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was responding to Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak who deemed OSA leaks treasonous.

This is in reference to the yet unclassified auditor-general's report on 1MDB published by whistleblower website Sarawak Report.

Haniff said in this instance, the report was cited in a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB which was made public.

Thus there is no concern of prejudice on PAC investigations into 1MDB or undermining public security.

"1MDB is owned by the Treasury, which answers to the people, so it is national and the people's interest to know about the audit report in detail.

"One possible reasons the report is still classified is that a high-ranking person may be criminally implicated in the 1MDB case – and we cannot discount this perception," he said in a Facebook posting.

Salleh yesterday issued a warning against the leaks in government information spotlighted by Sarawak Report's revelations on the auditor-general's report on 1MDB.

"It is alarming that not only have confidential information been sold but that some of it have been altered or doctored in the effort to sensationalise the issue," Salleh claimed in a statement on his blog last night.

"The main question would be what else and even more damaging information have also been sold that we are not aware of.

"And this puts the security of the nation at risk and this is nothing short of an act of treason," he said.

READ: Your Kiniguide to the OSA, and how not to get arrested

Minister decries 1MDB audit leaks as treason, wants it plugged