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Are leaks more important than finding out who stole funds, DAP asks 1MDB

1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) president Arul Kanda Kandasamy must decide if uncovering a multi-billion ringgit misappropriation of funds in the company is more important than looking for the person responsible for leaking information on the alleged wrongdoing, said DAP. In continuing his war of words with the state investment vehicle, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua accused the firm of trying again to divert attention on the matter and instead pursuing the source of the leak. This was regarding the letter of authorisation from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) published in whistle-blower site Sarawak Report. The letter, dated September 29, 2009, was for the transfer and investment of US$1 billion in a joint venture with PetroSaudi Development Limited. “We can hence conclude that the only reason 1MDB is so obsessed with leaks is the fact that it is trying their utmost, and obviously failing miserably, to hide all the criminal shenanigans which have been, and perhaps are still taking place in the company. “Let me ask Arul Kanda, between misleading Bank Negara with ‘inaccurate or incomplete disclosure of information’ to cover up for multi-billion ringgit misappropriation of 1MDB funds, and the letters of approval being leaked to the public domain, which problem should the 1MDB president give priority to? “Who’s the one with the ‘tidak apa’ attitude?" he said in a statement today. 1MDB had yesterday hit out at Pua for alleging unproven claims of fraud, embezzlement, theft and money laundering against the Finance Ministry-owned firm, which is currently under probe by various authorities over its alleged financial impropriety. It chided Pua for becoming an “instant expert on certain technical matters”, adding that it was designed solely for “political point scoring”. It also told the DAP Petaling Jaya Utara federal lawmaker to start an inquiry as to how confidential BNM investigation documents ended up in Sarawak Report’s possession, or how confidential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) documents, of which Pua is a member, such as the auditor-general’s interim report ended up with foreign news publication The Wall Street Journal. Pua said today that instead of answering questions, 1MDB felt it was proper to tell an MP to "stick his nose somewhere else". "1MDB accused me of having a 'tidak apa' attitude on the sources where the Sarawak Report, The Wall Street Journal and other media agencies secure their information. "1MDB even suggested that I should 'commence an enquiry as to how confidential Bank Negara investigation documents ended up in the possession of the foreign internet portal, the Sarawak Report'. "Let me make it very clear here that between figuring out who leaked information and uncovering the truth behind the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB scandal stinking of misappropriation, embezzlement and criminal breach of trust, my priority is categorically with the latter. "I am absolutely certain that not only my voters in Petaling Jaya Utara, but millions of Malaysians fully support my priorities here. "Therefore, it is not for 1MDB to tell me what I should or should not do for I am only ultimately answerable to the rakyat," he said. He added that his main priority was to determine the authenticity of the leaked document, adding that if the letter was proved genuine, it would mean 1MDB had clearly misled BNM. "However, Arul Kanda chose not to answer the question and tried very hard to turn the tables on me. 1MDB even made a police report yesterday on these leaks of letters, board minutes and other documents specifically to determine the source of the leaks. "1MDB’s reaction only leads me, and I’m certain nearly all Malaysians, to believe that the documents published are genuine articles," he said. – October 14, 2015.