MACC seizes desktop PC, documents from NFC office

By Yow Hong Chieh

December 23, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers carted away a desktop computer’s central processing unit (CPU) and four documents from the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFC) office here at the end of their raid today.

Supt Wan Abdul Rahman Wan Mohd Salleh, along with seven other officers from Putrajaya MACC, left the offices of the scandal-hit company at Solaris Mont Kiara here at 4.50pm after questioning staff for two hours.

MACC officers at the end of the raid today. — Picture by Choo Choy May

NFC runs the National Feedlot Centre in Gemas, which has been at the centre of a storm of controversy ever since the Auditor-General highlighted the publicly funded cattle-raising project as “a mess” in his report this year.

NFC is headed by Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Salleh Ismail, husband to Women, Family and Community Minister and Wanita Umno chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil. Their children are also directors in the company.

Today’s raid follows an announcement by MACC yesterday that it would investigate allegations the NFC had misappropriated government funds, despite previously saying it would not probe the matter.

The national anti-graft body had earlier referred the case to the police, who are now conducting an investigation into possible criminal breach of trust.

The MACC also confirmed yesterday it had remanded a businessman, said to be a Datuk, for questioning in relation to the case.

The 45-year-old suspect had earlier been detained by police for allegedly trying to bribe senior CCID officers believed to be involved in the NFC probe.

The National Feedlot Centre in Gemas, Negri Sembilan. — file pic

Following a series of exposés on the scandal-hit NFC project, PKR renewed demands earlier this week for the MACC to investigate the scheme for alleged financial abuse.

The opposition party first latched onto the issue after the RM250 million federally-funded cattle project made it into the pages of this year’s Auditor-General’s Report for failing to meet production targets.

PKR has since made several revelations related to the scandal, including NFC’s purchase of two multi-million ringgit condominium units in Bangsar and the alleged use of project funds to finance both Shahrizat’s and her family’s personal expenses and trips abroad.

It also claimed there was a transfer of resources to unrelated companies in Singapore, as well as the purchase a Mercedes-Benz CLS350 for RM534,622 and two plots of land in Putrajaya’s Precinct 10 for RM3,363,507.

The latest disclosure by PKR, made on Tuesday, further alleged that some RM10 million had been diverted towards the purchase of a luxury condominium unit in Singapore for Shahrizat’s family.

Shahrizat has sought to deflect attention by stating she was “only the wife” of the national cattle farming project’s chairman and had nothing to do with the NFC.

The senator has faced calls to quit as minister from within Umno, including from influential former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.