Pakatan MPs accuse A-G of cover-up in blocking NFC report

Pakatan Rakyat MPs today say A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail invoked the sub judice excuse to block damning evidences of wrongdoing in the National Feedlot Corporation. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 19, 2014.Pakatan Rakyat MPs today accused the Attorney-General of blocking the tabling of a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the controversial National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), whose former director is involved in a criminal breach of trust trial.

Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua, William Leong (‎Selayang) and Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar (Tumpat), who are members of the PAC, questioned Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail's claim that the PAC report was sub judice to the ongoing trial of NFC's former director Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh, who is the husband of Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

"However, our report didn't touch on the CBT‎ case that is going on now. All it is about is the processes, the transparency and the approvals given to the company by the federal government," Pua told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

"The use of sub judice as an excuse to prevent the tabling of the report is just a trick and an excuse in order to cover up proof of negligence‎ and leakages by the government."

On Monday, PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had said that the PAC report would not be debated in Parliament following Gani’s advice against such a move.

“We have done our job, PAC has done the report and we have submitted to the speaker as the person in charge of Parliament," he had said.

“And we have been informed that the speaker has referred the matter to the A-G and the A-G has voiced his concerns about tabling the report as it might be sub judice to the case that is going on with the NFC directors,” Nur Jazlan had said.

Pua said the PAC had been mindful to avoid interfering in the case and was aware that should it do so, the report would be "cold-storaged".

"In fact, Salleh did not even testify at the PAC meetings, citing court confidentiality and to prevent it from being prejudicial to his case.

The MPs revealed that the report contained evidence on the involvement of ministers in the approval process and the failure and negligence of senior officials at both ministries to monitor and manage the RM250 million loan given to the NFC.

"However, with the A-G blocking the report from being made public, these officers will escape scot-free from the part they have played in the failed project and the loss of RM250 million of tax payers' money," Pua added.

The NFC scandal was first exposed in the Auditor-General's Report 2011, which had pointed out that the cattle-rearing project had failed to meet its objectives. This was followed by revelations from PKR's Pandan MP, Rafizi Ramli, that the funds were abused to buy high-end property.

The project was awarded to NFCorp operated by Shahrizat's family who were later alleged to have misused the government's allocation of RM250 million for the project.

Salleh had pleaded not guilty in March last year to two counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving some RM49.7 million on the purchase of two condominium units, and two other charges under the Companies Act.

The KL Sessions Court rejected his application to strike out the charges, ruling that he would have to stand trial for the two CBT charges.

The PAC report on the scandal had been finalised by the previous committee, but the current panel decided to allow the new line-up to study the report first before tabling it in Parliament.

- TMI