Officials unable to access 'red files': Finance Minister

PUTRAJAYA: Top and senior officials from the Treasury and National Audit Department were not able to access certain accounts and reports under the previous government, newly appointed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said.
He said this had impeded officials and auditors from carrying out their responsibilities as well as investigations.
On his first day at the ministry, Lim said he had a series of meetings with all senior Treasury officials led by Deputy Treasurer-General Datuk Siti Zauyah Mohd Desa and separately with the Auditor-General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad and her team.
He said both Siti Zauyah and Madinah had briefed him on the current status of the nation's finances and the shocking revelation that they were not able to access certain accounts and reports.
"There were also complaints that certain 'red files' were only accessible to certain parties and this had impeded the officials and auditors from carrying out their professional responsibilities with integrity.
"It is clear that the previous government has conducted an exercise of deception to the public about certain hot-button items, especially 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) and even misrepresented the financial situation to Parliament," he said at a press conference here today.
Lim said a thorough investigation discovery is still ongoing to uncover the necessary financial information and data.
He had directed that all accounts must be accessible to both the Treasury and Auditor-General in the interest of competency, accountability and transparency.
"Both the Treasury and Auditor-General will continue the discovery of these files to give the Federal Government a clearer and more accurate picture of our financial position," he said.
On the financial health of the country, Lim said he was optimistic and confident that the country would be able to overcome these challenges.
"On a positive note, the Malaysian financial and banking system remains robust and well-capitalised. In addition, non-performing loans constitute less than one per cent of the total loans portfolio.
"The fundamentals of the economy remain strong. Hence, once we are able to clean up the Federal Government finances, we will be able to further strengthen public and investor confidence in Malaysia," he added. — Bernama