Bung Mokhtar: I am ready to assist MACC in biogas plant probe

Former Felcra chairperson Bung Mokhtar Radin today said that he was ready to cooperate with the MACC if called in to facilitate investigations into a Felcra Bhd biogas plant project which is alleged to have been abandoned despite the company having secured a bank loan.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday, he said the anti-graft body could call him up at any time.

"I am ready to be summoned. They (MACC) can go ahead (with the investigation) and call me. If they call, I will answer," Bung (above) said.

Previously, Felcra CEO Mohd Nazrul Izam Mansor had revealed to the media that Felcra's management had lodged a report with the MACC on the biogas plant project.

Nazrul, who was appointed to the position after Pakatan Harapan took over Putrajaya last year, said the report was lodged after the new Felcra management carried out an internal audit on the company.

According to Nazrul, at least 13 individuals have had their statements recorded by the MACC since, adding the authority had also seized some documents.

For the record, Felcra Bhd had entered into an agreement with Megagreen Energy Sdn Bhd in Dec 2014, where the latter would lease Felcra's land to develop and run five biogas plants.

Bung was also one of Megagreen's directors when the agreement was signed. He resigned from the company after BN lost in the 14th general election last year.

According to the agreement, six-megawatt plants would be built at locations where Felcra had palm oil facilities namely Bukit Kepong (Johor), Sungai Melikai (Johor), Nasaruddin (Perak), Seberang Perak (Perak) and Maran (Pahang).

However, after five years, a group of Felcra members raised the alarm over one of the biogas projects which had allegedly been abandoned despite company records showing that Megagreen had already received some RM35.25 million from a loan taken out by Felcra from the RHB Islamic Bank Bhd in 2015.

Following this, MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya confirmed that investigations into the matter were ongoing and were expected to be completed by next year.

Bung added that he had so far not received any letter from the MACC seeking his assistance in the case.

The Kinabatangan MP said he believed that there were no negative elements surrounding the biogas plant issue, claiming that procedures had been properly followed and that it was a business move by investors. - Mkini