RM4.8 bilion beza laporan bukan bukti audit TH gagal, kata Madinah

Former National Audit Office chief Madinah Mohamad clarified that the RM4.8 billion discrepancy between the National Audit Department's report and PricewaterhouseCoopers PLT's survey on the financial position of Tabung Haji (TH) should not be considered evidence of audit failure. The two assessments were conducted under different mandates, objectivity, scope, and methodology, making a direct comparison between them akin to comparing apples and oranges.

Madinah emphasized that the differences arose primarily from asset depreciation recognition and investment valuation methods, including subsidiaries, cooperatives, and investment assets. She also denied finding any evidence of embezzlement or manipulation during her tenure as the audit office chief. The National Audit Department follows the Audit Act 1957 and the Tabung Haji Act when conducting audits, while PwC performed a Financial Position Review with broader terms and a more extensive approach to evaluating TH's financial position.

While the National Audit Department's 2017 audit report did not explicitly identify direct embezzlement within TH, the Surveyor-General's Council (RCI) findings might differ if Madinah were called upon to testify as the audit chief at that time. Madinah stressed that the numerical gap between the two reports should not continue to be interpreted as proof that the National Audit Department failed to detect financial issues at TH.