KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 – 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) boss Arul Kanda Kandasamy will not face the opposition’s Rafizi Ramli in a live debate on the firm due to the following the Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s ruling that the 1MDB president couldn’t participate in the debate while being a witness in a parliamentary probe into the debt-ridden state investor.
“I would instead answer questions about the firm before a “lawful authority” such as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He has made his ruling on my responsibility as a PAC witness and that any debate should only take place after the PAC hearings,” Arul Kanda said in a statement today.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on Wednesday shot down the proposed live debate between Arul Kanda and PAC member Tony Pua as Pandikar said the debate was not allowed if Tony Pua does not quit his post as a member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), as the latter’s involvement could prejudice its probe into 1MDB.
