Ariff takes hands-off approach, will let PAC deal with 1MDB audit report
Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof has stated that he will not interfere with the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) investigation into allegations that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak tampered with the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB.
On Nov 26, DAP Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang had urged the House to refer Najib to the parliamentary Privileges Committee for allegedly tampering with the 1MDB audit report...
Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof has stated that he will not interfere with the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) investigation into allegations that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak tampered with the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB.
On Nov 26, DAP Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang had urged the House to refer Najib to the parliamentary Privileges Committee for allegedly tampering with the 1MDB audit report.
Lim made the call after auditor-general Madinah Mohamad claimed that Najib and others had instructed, in 2016, that parts of the audit report be deleted or revised.
Asked to respond to Lim’s statement, Ariff said: "You see, we have PAC. As speaker, I don't interfere with PAC. They will have a large say in what to look into, that's how the system works.
"Otherwise, it will become untidy," he said.
Ariff is chairperson of the Privileges Committee.
He was attending a roundtable on electoral reform, which was jointly held by Parliament and electoral watchdog Bersih today.
The PAC is set to conduct proceedings into tampering allegations concerning the 1MDB audit report on Dec 4.
Judicial appointments
Meanwhile, Ariff, who is a former Court of Appeal judge, said judicial appointments should continue to be carried out by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), instead of a parliamentary select committee.
"We already have the constitutional provision, practice and convention in relation to the appointment of judges," he said.
He said the parliamentary select committee for major public appointments should continue to play an oversight role.
He was responding to lawyers and other NGOs who had opposed the call to allow Parliament to decide on candidates for judges.
In October, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Parliament would screen the candidates for judges and certain other posts before submitting their names to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Earlier in August, the Dewan Rakyat had set up a parliamentary select committee for major public appointments, in addition to five other committees.
However, Ariff said it was not anticipated that "this parliamentary select committee would call judges, along the lines of American congressional committees," adding that the committee would play a smaller oversight role.
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