NFCorp to Rafizi: Look at your own backyard

NFCorp used the allegations of corruption and murder made by prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin to turn the tables on Rafizi.

PETALING JAYA: National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) has hit out at PKR strategic director, Rafizi Ramli, saying he should address the more serious allegations in his own “backyard rather than slandering a private company”.

Rafizi has been the chief spokesman behind PKR’s series of exposé into the misuse of the RM250 million soft loan allocated to NFCorp to assist the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) to develop self-sufficiency in beef production.

The loan was given to NFCorp – a private company owned and operated by the family of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. It was allegedly used to purchase high-class condominiums, premium land and a luxury car and to fund private overseas trips.

These allegations, primarily made by PKR, have been making the headlines since October last year.

Earlier today, Rafizi made fresh allegations that the money was used to purchase two more condominium units in Singapore worth RM34.56 million.

Singling Rafizi out for the first time since these allegations have surfaced, NFCorp CEO, Wan Shahinur Izmir, said that Rafizi, who is also the CEO of the Selangor Economic Advisory Office, should concentrate on the issues in his own backyard before proceeding to slander NFCorp.

Public interest issues
Wan Shahinur cited an FMT report today where prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin claimed that a businessman, with evidence on alleged corruption involving sand mining in the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government, was murdered by hired killers.

“These are three of the many public interest issues affecting the Selangor government that should be of primary concern to Rafizi as opposed to private sector issues that do not come under his jurisdiction,” Wan Shahinur said.

He added that as a responsible CEO of the Selangor Economic Advisory office, Rafizi should have filed a police report regarding this matter as “they are of primary concern to the state of Selangor that employs him”.

Both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police are looking into the matter. The police are investigating whether NFCorp has committed criminal breach of trust, and the MACC is reportedly looking into the possibility of “abuse of power” in the corporation.

Shahrizat was summoned to give her statement to the MACC earlier today.

The controversy surrounding the matter first surfaced when the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report revealed that the government-funded cattle-breeding, the NFC, fell short of meeting its targets.