PAC to call Jho Low if there is 1MDB link

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will call up businessman Low Taek Jho if investigations show a link between him and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), said PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

However, Nur Jazlan said he could not yet indicate if Low, or Jho Low as he is better known, had links to 1MDB.

“I don’t know at the moment. If there is any (1MDB) link to him we will call him to come to the PAC,” said Nur Jazlan, adding that there should be no speculation for now.

“I actually don’t know why he (Jho Low) is coming out to the press and making all these allegations because in terms of the 1MDB organisational structure, management or board of directors, he’s not there. He’s not employed or a director of 1MDB, so why is he defending himself in this matter?” he asked.

He said the Auditor-General’s report was done on a professional basis to look at the financial statements of IMDB.

“We (the PAC) look at it from a political angle as well, and we want to know what is going on.

“Our committee is one of the most independent in the country because it is made up of Government and opposition MPs. So it actually reflects the voice of the people,” he added.

On Monday, Nur Jazlan said the PAC might initiate its own audit into 1MDB’s dealings without waiting for the Auditor-General’s findings.

The move, he said, could be necessary as the issue had been politicised by many groups.

The audit could start within the next few months.

On March 4, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had instructed the Auditor-General to verify 1MDB’s accounts and forward the findings to the PAC.

The A-G began its audit on March 10, with Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang holding a meeting with 1MDB president and chief executive director Arul Kanda. He, however, did not disclose what transpired during the meeting.