The Malaysian Insight

THE 1Malaysia Development Bhd audit-tampering trial last week saw Ambrin Buang laying bare high-powered meetings in 2016 centred on altering a report on the troubled state investor.

The 70-year-old former auditor-general was grilled by Najib Razak’s lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, on his decision to amend the report.

Accused of compromising his integrity, Ambrin told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that his “conscience was very clear”.

“I would say I did not compromise. I am very sure about the facts,” he testified at the joint trial of former prime minister Najib and ex-1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy.

Najib is accused of using his position to remove parts of the final 1MDB audit report between February 22 and 26, 2016 at the Prime Minister’s Department, before it was tabled to the Public Accounts Committee, to protect himself from criminal action.

Arul Kanda is on trial for abetting Najib.

Ambrin said he met Najib on February 22, 2016, when the latter promised to “get to the bottom” of discrepancies in the report.

“As the auditor-general then, and as a public servant, I saw Najib’s request, which was made in his capacity as prime minister, as something to be followed without suspicions.”

He confirmed that another meeting, on February 24 the same year, was attended by nine officials, namely himself, Arul Kanda, then chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa, Ali’s senior private secretary Norazman Ayub, Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad of the National Audit Department (NAD), Attorney-General’s Chambers representative Dzulkifli Ahmad, Treasury representatives Mohamad Isa Hussain and Asri Hamdin, and Najib’s principal private secretary Shukry Mohd Salleh.

It was at this meeting Ali gave an assurance that he would instruct a Treasury officer to lodge a police report, the court heard.

Ambrin said he later felt “cheated” that no report was lodged.

He said the agreement was that he would drop that version of the 1MDB audit report if action was taken.

He also spoke of feeling pressured at the meeting after he was told that failure to amend the report would result in Najib’s image being tarnished.

“If his name was tarnished, nationally, we would be tarnished also. This is what they were conveying to me in pressuring me to amend the report.”

Ambrin confirmed it was the February 24 meeting that NAD director Nor Salwani Muhammad recorded.

He defended her action, saying it was procedural and done because she was not present at the meeting.

He also confirmed it was him who ordered all original copies of the 1MDB report destroyed, except for one saved by Nor Salwani.

The former auditor-general said he was authorised under the Official Secrets Act to do so, adding that the sole remaining copy was for internal use.

The trial has been adjourned to January 13. – December 1, 2019.