DAP lawmaker Tony Pua has questioned Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Hasan Arifin’s silence on the latest developments surrounding 1MDB and the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).

In a statement, Pua referred to the settlement reached between 1MDB and IPIC after a year-long arbitration process that involved billions of ringgit.

He also cited the letter revealed by Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani last week, confirming that Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (BVI) is a subsidiary of IPIC.

Pua said that the latest developments prompted his call for newly-appointed auditor-general Madinah Mohamad and the PAC to reopen their investigations into 1MDB.

“Instead of responding to requests by multiple parties to re-open the inquiry, the PAC chairperson Hasan Arifin has remained as quiet as a mouse.

“In fact, not only has he not released any statement on an issue of such importance, involving more than RM15 billion of taxpayers’ funds, he has been avoiding media inquiries like the plague,” claimed the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

The "more than RM15 billion" figure refers to a sum of US$3.51 billion which Johari previously insisted that 1MDB has already paid to IPIC or its subsidiary, Aabar Investment PJS Ltd (Aabar BVI).

Furthermore, Pua pointed out, even Barisan Nasional PAC members had recently spoken up on the issue, with Putatan MP Marcus Mojigoh requesting for the letter to be revealed and Kulim Bandar Baru MP Aziz Sheikh Fadzir questioning where past payments to Aabar (BVI) had gone.

“While the existence of such a presumably legitimate letter still does not in itself prove that Aabar (BVI) isn’t a fraudulent set up, it does highlight the fact that the government’s decision defies all logic.

“After all, why would the government then, under all rational circumstances, concede to the demands of IPIC if there was nothing incriminating on the part of 1MDB? As the Malay proverb goes, there must be ‘udang di sebalik batu’,” Pua said.

Johari, who is overseeing the 1MDB rationalisation plan, had said that the Finance Ministry’s decision to go ahead with the arbitration proceedings was made upon confirmation of the status of Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (BVI).

Malaysiakini, in an exclusive report, quoted Johari as stating there is a letter dated Aug 11, 2016, from the Registrar of Corporate Affairs of the British Virgin Islands confirming that Aabar BVI is an IPIC subsidiary.

The disclosure led a source familiar with the matter to question why the Malaysian team had opted for a settlement, instead of letting the arbitration process between 1MDB and IPIC run its course, when it had such strong evidence.