No reason for KPMG, Deloitte to lie: Ahmad Husni
PETALING JAYA: It is inconceivable that two of the biggest auditing firms in the world, KPMG and Deloitte, would work together to cover up any wrongdoing on the part of 1MDB.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the two companies have no reason to hide information of impropriety by the debt-laden sovereign fund as claimed by certain quarters.
"Deloitte is one of the largest auditing firms in the world, so is KPMG. Why would they hide information from us? They found the transactions to be legal and it has been signed by all partners of the firms," Ahmad Husni said in a tell-all session on TV1 last night.
Contrary to claims by the Opposition, he said, all transactions in 1MDB are accounted for in its financial statements as shown by the audit conducted by the two firms.
Ahmad Husni said claims by the Opposition are often riddled with inaccuracies and the government had already done all that was necessary to verify the accounts.
"We have gone through all the processes in accordance with democracy and have also commissioned two independent accounting firms to look into the accounts. There is no reason why the Opposition is still criticising 1MDB," he said.
Ahmad Husni said the two firms had left no stones unturned in their probes and had asked for all necessary financial and transaction documents from 1MDB, and even interviewed the relevant personnel.
However, he said, if any wrongdoing is found in the ongoing investigation by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Auditor-General's Department then the authorities will take action accordingly.
Ahmad Husni added that:
> 1MDB will fully cooperate with Bank Negara on the company's governance process, and hoped for a swift conclusion to the matter;
> there is no need to "glamourise" Jho Low because there is no confirmation of his involvement in 1MDB, and
> reports on social media and news portals that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was bullying cabinet ministers over the 1MDB issue are not true.