KUALA LUMPUR: Any clarification on issues involving National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) should be sought from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the agriculture and agro-based industry minister when the company was set up in 2006.
On the heels of apparent attempts by opposition parties and several portals to revive the purported “scandal” in NFC, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president Datuk Azwanddin Hamzah said Muhyiddin would have an inside knowledge on the matter.
Azwanddin said the opposition itself, including DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, had once called for Muhyiddin to be hauled before the Public Accounts Committee to divulge on the problems experienced by NFC.
Muhyiddin is now Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president and opposition pact Pakatan Harapan pro-tem deputy president.
“There is no need to go out and about finding answers to any question concerning NFC. Muhyiddin is in their camp now. I am sure that they can just meet him to throw some queries.
“He was the minister who allegedly approved setting up of NFC after all, or so the opposition had claimed. I believe Muhyiddin is just a call away,”Azwanddin told the New Straits Times Press today.
Lim in a blog post dated Nov 21 2011 had claimed as to who else apart from Muhyiddin should bear responsibility for the NFC.
He had also questioned as to why project’s objective which was on cattle production to boost the nation’s beef self-sufficiency could end up going so wrong.
In his posting the opposition veteran had also alleged that NFC not only failed to meet its target, the RM250 million 2 per cent-interest soft loan had been diverted to buy two luxury condominiums in Bangsar and also for other dubious transactions as exposed by PKR Secretary-General and MP Saifuddin Nasution and PKR chief of strategy Rafizi Ramli.
Lim also said in his posting that Muhyiddin should had explained on the NFC scandal, as to why government scrutiny, supervision and monitoring of the project.
In particular, Lim also questioned the RM250 million soft loan which was so lax or even non-existent so as to allow such gross breach of trust and abuse of public funds to take place.
NFC is a private company owned by Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, with participation from the government.
Lim was following-up on PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli’s allegations of criminal breaches of trust (CBT) committed in NFC through purchases of luxury condominium units.
In Nov 2015, after a series of probes and exhaustive court proceedings, NFC executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail was finally acquitted of four CBT charges involving RM49.7 million.
About a year later, Rafizi was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court here to pay Salleh and NFC RM200,000 in damages over a defamatory statement in relation to a loan to buy KL Eco City property.
Last Wednesday, Rafizi was sentenced to 30 months' jail by the Sessions Court illegally exposing the bank account details related to NFC and Salleh.