DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang today rapped Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah over his explanation on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion 'donation' issue in Parliament yesterday, describing it as ‘a washout’.

"What is the use of having a second finance minister if one is unable to send him like a Roman gladiator into the Coliseum of ancient times to fight the lions?

"Husni’s answer on the twin mega scandals was a washout and total disgrace, further proof that Najib’s government has more to hide than to reveal and account about the RM2.6 billion 'donation' and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals," he said in a statement.

He said Husni was appointed to be the government spokesperson on 1MDB two months ago and should have had easy time responding to the issues raised regarding the state-owned company because he had ample time to familiarise himself with its complexities.

Not only that, 1MDB chief Arul Kanda Kandasamy has also ‘prepared the stage’ for Husni through his ‘virtuoso’ explanation of the state fund in a seminar last Saturday to Umno members, Umno-linked NGOs and government agencies, Lim pointed out.

However, he noted that Husni would not have gotten away with parroting Arul Kanda's explanations in Parliament with the presence of ‘hawkish’ MPs like DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and PKR'S Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli.

"Husni was wise not to try to repeat Arul Kanda's cop-out performance as with hawkish MPs in Parliament, he would not get away unscathed," he said

While Arul Kanda had said that 1MDB was the most investigated company in the country, Lim said that it is actually the most superficially investigated company.

It should also be noted, he said, that 1MDB was the most internationally investigated Malaysian company, with ongoing investigations in over half-a- dozen countries.

Funds for American candidates

One of the issues relating to 1MDB which Husni should have addressed, Lim added, was the Asia Sentinel article yesterday which alleged that 1MDB might have violated US campaign finance laws through DuSable Capital Management.

The article was in relation to 1MDB admiting that the state-owned fund, through its unit 1MDB Synergy Sdn Bhd, had entered into a master joint venture agreement with Yurus PE Fund to develop the solar plant project in April 2014.

The Yurus PE Fund is managed by US-based DuSable, a company owned by Frank White, a chief fundraiser for US President Barack Obama.

The Asia Sentinel article claimed that the US$506,000 paid to DuSable by 1MDB was the sole source of the US-based company's funds.

DuSable then allegedly made contributions ranging from US$500 to U$D25,000 to campaigns of various American political candidates.