Major firms among over 1,800 entities A-G empowered to audit
KUALA LUMPUR: Sovereign wealth funds, airlines, airport operators and plantation companies are among the biggest government-linked companies (GLCs) that are now being looked into by the Auditor-General (A-G).
In a list that has more than doubled the 925 entities it has audited since 2022, the A-G said it is now looking into the accounts of 1,856 firms.
These include giant investment entities and fund managers such as Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Permodalan Nasional Bhd.
Also being audited is national oil and gas firm PETRONAS and several of its subsidiaries.
“In line with the Audit Order that has been enforced, guidelines concerning the implementation of the auditing of the GLCs are being developed by the National Audit Department.
“It is in line with provisions stipulated under Section 7A of the Audit Act 1957.
“(The provisions) give the Auditor-General the authority to issue any guideline as necessary or adjust the benefits to carry out the allocation under Act 62,” the department said, as reported by Bernama.
The list of major companies being audited also includes 1Malaysia Development Bhd and Mara Corporation Sdn Bhd.
Sewerage, waste management and water utilities including Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Air Johor Sdn Bhd and KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd are also being audited.
The A-G will also be looking at the accounts of airport, rail and highway operators including Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd and PLUS Malaysia Bhd.
Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd, which runs Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings, will also be audited.
The audit will also encompass plantation and agriculture companies Felcra Bhd and 20 subsidiaries, as well as 10 subsidiaries under the Federal Land Development Authority.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2025 on Oct 18, had announced that the department has been given a greater role to initiate audits of nearly 2,000 companies and entities receiving government allocations and guarantees.
Subsequently, on Oct 22, during the Prime Minister’s Question and Answer session in Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that the government had agreed for the A-G to conduct audits of GLCs to ensure that government companies are managed according to their actual mandate.
