Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed is stepping down as PAC chairman after his appointment as deputy home minister. ― File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ― The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) investigation on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) will be temporarily suspended as Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed is stepping down as chairman after his appointment as deputy home minister.

Nur Jazlan said that several other Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs who were also appointed as deputy ministers ― Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican (deputy foreign affairs minister), Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (tourism and culture deputy minister) and Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau ― must also vacate their positions in the PAC.

“I have to step down. All (of us who were appointed) have to step down,” he told Malay Mail Online.

Nur Jazlan also confirmed that this meant that the ongoing PAC probe on 1MDB would be affected.

“It would have to be temporarily halted.

“We will have to wait until the next Parliament sitting to decide on the new PAC chief to be appointed, so this means PAC investigations halted until then,” he added.

Prior to the appointments, the PAC had scheduled August 4 and 5 to question 1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy and his predecessor, Datuk Shahrul Ibrahim Halmi as part of their investigation into the state-owned firm’s dealings.

The committee will also recall 1MDB’s then-auditors Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young along with several other 1MDB executives and directors of the company’s subsidiaries for further questioning in September to answer discrepancies raised by the Auditor-General’s interim report on the firm.

Earlier today, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa announced in a statement that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has been removed from his post as Attorney-General for “health reasons”.

Up to his removal effective on July 27, Abdul Gani had been leading a multi-agency taskforce that was probing allegations of misappropriation of funds involving Najib and 1MDB.

He has since been replaced by former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.