KUALA LUMPUR – Former auditor-general Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad told the high court here that she was ‘shocked’ upon learning that her predecessor Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and National Audit Department (NAD) officer Datuk Nor Salwani Muhammad were ordered to amend and destroy the original copy of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) Audit Report.
Madinah, 66, said Nor Salwani (who is now the deputy auditor-general of NAD) had informed her of the matter before she went into a meeting room to be briefed about the amended copy.
“I was shocked that Ambrin was instructed to amend the original copy and Nor Salwani was instructed to destroy the copies meant to be tabled to the PAC (Public Accounts Committee in 2016). However, she (Nor Salwani) did not destroy the original version of the report. She kept the original version under her chair,” she said.
The 12th prosecution witness said this when cross-examined by Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in the trial of the former prime minister and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy for alleged tampering of the 1MDB final audit report.
Shafee: Tan Sri, you said, you were shocked, but you did nothing on the matter until the new government (Pakatan Harapan) came in? Madinah replied “correct”.
When queried who was the culprit behind this amendment, the 12th prosecution witness answered that she did not ask Nor Salwani about it as she was rushing to the meeting.
The witness also admitted that during the one year and four months she had served under Najib’s administration, she did not try to seek clarification from Najib about the issue, as it was not necessary for her to do so.
To another question, Madinah admitted that a wrong was committed through the instructions to amend and destroy the original 1MDB audit report.
Shafee: Wrong along the lines of criminality, somebody “fixing” (manipulating) the report. A criminal act?
Madinah: I just knew it was wrong for Ambrin to be pressured to amend what had been a finalised copy of the auditor-general’s report, and for Nor Salwani to be instructed to destroy all the original reports.
To another question, the witness denied that she met Najib to be appointed as auditor-general in early 2016, while also denying that she relied on lobbying by her late husband – then Umno deputy permanent chairman Datuk Seri Rizuan Abdul Hamid – to be appointed as the auditor-general.
Shafee: Are you aware that your late husband lobbied for you to be auditor-general?
Madinah: When this conversation was brought up with my husband, I had told him that under no circumstances should he interfere in any way, especially when I was secretary-general in two ministries; education and Mosti. He was a businessman, he was not to attempt to conduct business with these two ministries and not to lobby for anything from the PM, because if I was to be appointed, it had to be on my own merits, and he understood that.
Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action being taken against him, while Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Federal Territory of Putrajaya between February 22 and February 26, 2016.
Both of them were charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The trial before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues. – Bernama, March 30, 2022
