Transparency International Malaysia
(TI-M) dengan tegas meminta kerajaan segera menarik balik sekatan Laporan Ketua
Audit Negara yang diklasifikasikan di bawah Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).
Adalah malang apabila laporan itu
‘disorok daripada awam’ sedangkan rakyat perlu mengetahuinya.
“Apakah ada sesuatu yang kerajaan cuba
sorok atau lindungi daripada orang ramai dalam laporan berkenaan?”
Jika terus meletakkannya di bawah OSA,
ternyata OSA itu sendiri sudah didalahguna oleh kerajaan.
President,TI-M, Dato’ Akhbar Satar hari
ini menegaskan, jika didedahkan kepada wam, kerajaan membuktikannya sebagai
telus, berkredibiliti dan tidak apa yang perlu disorokkan daripada pengetahuan
awam.
“Lagipun Perdana Menteri sendiri yang
mengarahkan Ketua Audit Negara membuat auditan terhadap 1Malaysia Develeopment
Berhad (1MDB),” tegasnya dalam kenyataan yang dihantar kepada blog ini.
TI-M juga mengulangi desakannya agar
audit secara forensik dapat dibuat terhadap akaun dan transaksi 1MDB
memandangkan ia akan lebih cermat, jelas dan menyeluruh.
“Perlu dilakukan melalui cara ini untuk
mengetahui apakah benar ada salah laku atau penipuan oleh pihak tertentu dalam
Laporan Ketua Audit Negara itu.
“Jika ada, pengurusan 1MDB boleh
bertindak membuat penyiasatan jenayah terhadap mereka yang disyaki terbabit,”
katanya.
Akhbar berkata, hanya cara ini akan
membolehkan kerajaan menepis dakwaan pihak-pihak tertentu wujudnya salah laku
dan penyelewengan dalam 1MDB.
“Laporan Ketua Audit Negara sudah
memberikan jawapan awal mengenai kebenaran dan kenapa ada penangguhan atau
menunggu serta keengganan untuk ‘memberitahu kebenaran itu” kepada rakyat?,”
soal Akhbar.
Baca kenyataan beliau berikut:
NOW
IS THE BEST TIME TO DECLASSIFY AG’S REPORT ON 1MDB - THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING TO
HIDE!
By Datuk Akhbar Satar
President,
Transparency International Malaysia
TI-M strongly urges the government not
to still keep the Auditors General’s
Report on 1MDB under the Official Secrets Act 1972 but to declassify the
report, table the same in Parliament for debate and inform the public on the
detailed findings from the auditor general’s report. The report was submitted
to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) but has not been tabled in Parliament since
it is a classified document and will be violating the Official Secrets Act 1972(OSA).
The report is suddenly hidden from the public using OSA. Is there something inside the report the
government wants to hide from the public? If so, it can be considered an abuse
of OSA.
Declassifying the report would also
enable the government of the day to prove to the public at large that it is
transparent, accountable and there is nothing
to hide or cover up from the public‘s knowledge. After all this audit
report is the result following the prime minister‘s own instruction to the
Auditor-General to audit 1MDB.
TI-M also believes that now is the best
time to declassify the report as it can avoid Sarawak Report (SR) from further
publishing contents of Auditors General’s report on 1MDB which it claimed to be
from the auditor general’s report even though the report is still classified
under Official Secrets Act 1972 and the authenticity of the statements on the
report made by SR has not been challenged by the government. The delay in
declassifying the report allows public to unnecessarily form its opinion
assumptions on what could have happened in 1MDB including issues of the
financial management of the company, dubious transactions and corrupt practices
which ultimately may not true.
Since the 1MDB is owned by the government
and funded by using the taxpayers money, TI-M holds strongly to the view that
the public has right to know how the money was managed by Board of Directors
and Senior Management and if there is any fraud or wrongdoing committed by any
of the persons entrusted to manage it.
TI-M also repeats its call for a
forensic audit to be undertaken on 1MDB’s accounts and transactions since the
forensic audit can unearth more details and disclose whether any fraud or wrong
doing has taken place which the Auditor General’s report might not have covered
or discovered since the auditor’s report would not be as detailed as a forensic
audit. If the findings from forensic audit discloses there are elements of
fraud and wrongdoings on the 1MDB’s management it can be used to conduct
criminal investigation against the suspects.
The government has repeatedly denied wrongdoings on the part of 1MDB and
claims the allegations from various quarters are untrue.
The audit report gives us some of the
truth, why the hesitation and indeed the refusal to “let the truth be told”?
14
July 2016
Transparency
International-Malaysia is an independent, non-governmental and non-partisan
organisation committed to the fight against corruption.