PAC chief must say why he won’t summon Jho Low, says Kit Siang

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin should resign if he dare not summon businessman Low Taek Jho to appear before the joint parliamentary group. "One of the greatest sins of omission of the PAC investigations into 1MDB is the rescinding of its earlier decision to summon Jho Low to testify before it," he said in a statement today. Lim said Malaysians were still waiting for a reasonable explanation on why Hasan had rescinded former PAC chair Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamed's decision on July 24 last year to summon the businessman to testify on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal. "The whole world seems to know that Malaysia's 'wonder-boy' tycoon is the main 'mover and shaker' of (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak's 1MDB misadventure, except the government authorities, including Hasan. "Is this the reason why Hasan is not summoning Jho Low to appear before the PAC investigations into 1MDB?" Last November, Hasan said PAC was looking at the legality of summoning Jho Low before the panel, adding that the panel had to study the matter as the tycoon was not "directly" involved with 1MDB. In a statement on Thursday, Hasan said PAC has completed its inquiry into 1MDB. He said the focus would now be on the auditor-general’s final report on 1MDB, scheduled to be tabled on February 24 and 25. He added that if necessary, the committee would consider calling more witnesses to assist in the PAC report on 1MDB’s management after the A-G’s report was tabled. – February 13, 2016.