In a statement, DNB said that it “strongly denies these allegations and rejects the insinuation of any impropriety in our governance and procurement practices”.

“DNB’s tender and procurement processes are structured according to the strictest governance standards and best practices.

“DNB has always been open and transparent in its awarding of tenders and contracts.

“This matter has been addressed in detail various times in Parliament and reported in the media, repeatedly disproving the allegations,” the company said.

In its report yesterday, CNA said there was a “deep mistrust” between DNB’s proponents and Malaysia’s mobile network operators (MNOs) over the secrecy in its internal operations.

It said transparency issues have been central to failure among parties to reach an agreement on the “condition precedents” to the settlement agreement signed in December.

“Apart from the nomination of MNO representatives to the board, DNB has insisted that only the board’s directors will be allowed access to review the ongoing due diligence into its affairs.

“The findings are to remain confidential and not be shared with the MNOs.

“The MNOs are also seeking clarity on other software contracts that DNB had signed, including the controversial deployment of a potentially lucrative cloud services platform that was awarded when DNB was set up in March 2021,” CNA reported.

DNB said the awarding of the 5G network equipment contract involved a “rigorous evaluation process” and Ericsson had obtained the highest score regarding all prerequisites.

“The tender process was structured by an independent global professional services firm. It involved some 50 local and international experts from across 10 countries with 5G network roll-out experience.

“The process has also been reviewed by multiple parties, including during reviews of the 5G network policy by the Malaysian Cabinet in 2022 and 2023,” it said.

DNB said the process with respect to the share subscription agreements signed with the five MNOs was ongoing.