Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said believes that it is fair for police to restrict their investigations into 1MDB to the recommendations by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

She pointed out that the PAC consisted of both representatives from the government and the opposition.

“Those who sit in the PAC are given the prerogative to investigate in whatever manner they are able to by calling in witnesses. The PAC (report) exists based on the audit report,” she said.

“If that was the instruction – that we contain ourselves to the PAC report – I think that’s a very fair statement,” Azalina said at a press conference after her visit to the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA) today.

She was asked whether it was a conflict of interest on the cabinet’s part to instruct the police to limit the probe to the PAC recommendations only.

She said the PAC was the final body in the investigation on all matters that were raised.

“If you want the PAC or the police to go above and beyond, I think it's not right because the PAC has already decided on the terms of reference,” she said.

Even though the PAC is chaired by a BN lawmaker, Azalina stressed that it is still an independent body.

“If the police are probing due to the PAC report, I think it validates (their action).

“Because the […] terms of reference have to be based on the PAC, because the PAC came out with the findings. So I think it’s justified and fair,” she said.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar last week said that police have completed the first phase of their probe into 1MDB, which was restricted to the five recommendations by the PAC as ordered by the cabinet.

DAP lawmaker Tony Pua, however, said that the cabinet's action in placing limits on what the police could or could not investigate was tantamount to interference.