Isa Samad, GM signed power of attorney on Felda land deal

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat today heard that the then chairman of Felda and one of its general managers had both signed a document to grant power of attorney (PA) over the transfer of the agency’s land on Jalan Semarak here to a private firm in 2015.

In revealing this, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Razali Ibrahim said he was not accusing anyone but only answering a question put forward in the house.

The Felda chairman at that time was Isa Samad, who was formerly a minister and Negeri Sembilan menteri besar.

Razali said police investigations into the transaction were ongoing, and many recommendations and findings had been made during the forensic audit process.

“The process included collecting 240 documents of minutes of meetings to help complete the investigations,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia when replying a supplementary question from Fauzi Abdul Rahman (PKR-Indera Mahkota).

Fauzi had asked for the identity of the individual involved in signing the PA for the deal.

On March 9 this year, current Felda chairman Shahrir Abdul Samad said Felda had regained possession of all the 16 lots of land on Jalan Semarak that were transferred.

He said 17 lots were transferred to Synergy Promenade Sdn Bhd (SPSB), through four sale and purchase agreements in 2015 and 2016, but only 16 lots were registered in the name of the company.

The issue over the ownership of the Felda land arose last December after a local newspaper revealed that Felda was at risk of losing its land, valued at RM270 million, for the development of the Kuala Lumpur Vertical City (KLVC) project through the transaction.

He said Felda’s success in regaining possession of the land followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with SPSB on Jan 15 this year. -FMT