RM86m still frozen, NFC chief testifies in suit against Rafizi, Malaysiakini

National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC) chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail today revealed that RM86 million of fixed deposits from the RM250 million loan it received are still frozen by the court.

He blamed the freezing of the accounts held at the CIMB Bank, Maybank and Public Bank due to Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli's expose over the Public Bank accounts sometime in March 2012.

Salleh is testifying in his defamation suit against Rafizi and Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd.

Answering questions from counsel Ranjit Singh for Rafizi, Salleh said some of the cash were returned to the company after March 7, 2012.

"Our fixed deposits of RM86 million are still frozen in CIMB Bank, Maybank and Public Bank as a result of the statement by the opposition. This loan was taken by the NFC," he said.

Ranjit : Is the freezing of assets due to my client's expose of the Public Bank accounts?

Salleh : Yes.

Ranjit : How much were frozen?

Salleh : RM86 million.

Ranjit : Was the seizure due to some purchases of condominiums including the one in One Menerung, Bangsar?

Salleh : No relation.

The NFC boss maintained that Rafizi was the main reason for the company's losses and the source of its problems where it was claimed that the company was related to (Umno Wanita chief) Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family company.

"However, as you can see, Shahrizat does not own any shares in the NFC or other companies. That is how damaging your client was (on us)," he said.

Ranjit: Would you agree that the NFC project itself received serious criticism from BN and the opposition?

Salleh: Only the opposition.

Ranjit: Some BN senior members were critical, including Bung Moktar (Raden) and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, along with Ghapur Salleh (MP Kinabatangan), Syed Ali Syed Alhabshee (Cheras Umno division chief) and Kamilia (Ibrahim) (Shahrizat's former deputy).

Salleh: It was when the opposition raised the RM73.6 million grant and related that to my wife saying that was Shahrizat's family company. They continued to attack Shahrizat. This is not about my wife. This business belongs to my company and my family. I explained it to Mahathir that Shahrizat had nothing to do with it and he accepted it and he never commented further. Syed Ali later apologised. If Rafizi wants to attack me, attack me today.

Ranjit: If you look at the comments made by Syed Ali, Bung Moktar, Rafidah Aziz and Kamilia, all these people were critical of the NFC issue.

Salleh: This is a manipulation by your client, what the auditor-general commented was not on NFC but the National Feedlot project.

Ranjit: Do you agree a lot of the criticisms were because of certain allegations of money from government loan channelled into National Meatwork Livestock Corporation, used to buy the condominium in One Menerung or elsewhere?

Salleh: That is how damaging your client had been. Many people who have been duped by your client say they linked this to my wife.

As the witness continued to point his fingers at Rafizi as the cause of this on March 2012, Ranjit pointed to all the statements made by BN leaders prior to March 2012, including the ones made by Bung Moktar (Nov 24 and Dec 3, 2011), Mahathir (Dec 9, 2011) , Syed Ali (Dec 5, 2011) and Ghapur (Dec 11, 2011).

Ranjit: I put it to you that, if at all, my client's expose of your Public Bank account has nothing to do with the project's failure.

Salleh: That is completely wrong.

[More to come]

-Mkini