Najib urged to freeze NFC assets before EGM...

PKR has urged the government to freeze the assets of National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), prompted by fears that it may restructure itself this week and thereby hamper police investigations into the company.

Party strategy director Rafizi Ramli said he has obtained information that the NFC would be holding an emergency general meeting and a meeting of board members sometime this week.

Rafizi (left in photo) said that the EGM was called with a suspiciously short three-day notice, which he claims shows that something was brewing. Normally, a notice of 14 days is given before an EGM is to be held.

"I understand that among the agenda to be discussed is the takeover of the National Meat and Livestock Corporation, a company owned by Women and Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family.

"NFC is a GLC through a special share owned by the Finance Ministry.

"I believe this hurried action to call the meeting of NFC directors and the EGM may have an improper intention and may hamper on-going investigations by the authorities," Rafizi said.

He said PKR wants prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also finance minister, not to rest on his laurels and intervene by freezing any activity or decision by the company to use funds provided by the Malaysian government.

He said the proper move for Najib to ensure corporate governance should be to appoint proper special administrators to run the NFC, as the company has hitherto shown several cases of questionable practise in the use of the RM250 million provided by the government.

“Because there are efforts by the NFC to conduct business in a questionable manner, I propose that the government through its representatives on the board of directors appoint independent corporate or special administrators to manage NFC until investigations are completed.

“This is a good governance practice to prevent any further alleged misappropriation in the company from happening,” said Rafizi.

‘Why no immediate action?’

Rafizi said that he is puzzled that since the matter came out in the Auditor-General’s report, there has been no immediate action by Najib as finance minister to stop possible further abuse.

He has come to know that as of 2009, a total of RM84 million had been spent from the RM250 million fund.

“I do not know what the amount is now, it could be much more after two years. However, what is important from the government’s standpoint is to try and recoup the money.

“This can be done with the first step of freezing the accounts and assets, and appointing special administrators so efforts can be made to recover it,” Rafizi said.

Also present at the press conference was PKR’s investment and business bureau chairperson Wong Chen.

It was reported that the NFC, which is supposed to be involved in the cattle business had purchased a luxury condominium in Bangsar.

Also it was alleged that NFC funds were also used to purchase a Mercedes and two plots of land in Putrajaya, where more than RM3 million were transferred to finance it.

The NFC project was described “as a mess” in the Auditor-General’s Report, following the making of questionable purchases and the Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Inc, having taken back 3,000 acres of the 5,000 acres set aside for the project.

MACC should investigate its board member's allegations

On the same issue, Rafizi disclosed that he has obtained an email a from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission advisory board member, Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, dated Dec 31, over an incident where NFC had allegedly attempted to hire a middleman to bribe the investigators.

Until now, he said PKR has not received any information over actions to be taken by the MACC following the revelation.

The full contents of Megat Najmuddin’s (right) email are as follows:

“I had a v nice Thai dinner with the lawyer for NFC and Dato Salleh (Ismail) just before I left for Chiangmai on the 22nd nite. This lawyer has just come from an interview session the police had with his clients. He told us about this conman’s story, about how this sweet talking guy managed to convince his desperate client to part with his money so that he can get the police to be ‘less brutal’ in their interrogation! It is sad to see how stupid one can get when you are stuck ‘between a rock and a hard place!’

“It is definitely not a 'wayang'. Now our NFC Dato may be open to a charge of being an accomplice in an attempt to bribe the police! MACC now can come in directly into the picture, otherwise it has always been a police matter.”

Rafizi said he will be lodging a report with MACC this afternoon for them to investigate the email and the attempted bribe.

“Megat Najmuddin’s view should be taken into serious consideration by the MACC as he had said himself in the email that there are corrupt elements involving Salleh and the police. Hence the MACC can take further action on this,” he said.

“Megat Najmuddin is a respected figure as he held various positions in the government including the MACC advisory committee, the board of directors of Petronas and the presidency of the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance, as well as being a Bank Negara adviser,” he said.

He hoped that Megat Najmuddin can reveal this to MACC for proper action to be taken.

So far, Rafizi said action has been taken on Shamsubahrin Ismail, 45, who faces two counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, but there has been none taken against Salleh.

“This is certainly not right,” he added.

Najib didesak beku aset NFC sebelum EGM

PKR hari mendesak kerajaan supaya membekukan aset projek ternakan lembu Perbadanan Fidlot Kebangsaan (NFC) berikutan pendedahan bahawa ia akan mengadakan mesyuarat agung tergempar dan mesyuarat dengan lembaga pengarahnya.

Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli (kiri) berkata pembekuan aset itu penting bagi memastikan NFC tidak melakukan penstrukturan semula dan akan membantutkan siasatan polis.

Katanya, amat mencurigakan apabila EGM yang dirancang minggu ini dengan hanya tiga hari notis diberikan.

Lazimnya, menurut beliau, tempoh lebih lama diperuntukkan untuk mengadakan EGM tetapi dengan notis tiga hari ini menunjukkan ada sesuatu yang cuba disembunyikan.

“Berdasarkan maklumat dalaman, saya dimaklumkan bahawa pengurusan NFC telah memanggil satu mesyuarat Lembaga Pengarah NFC dan Mesyuarat Agung Luarbiasa (EGM) minggu ini dengan hanya memberikan tempoh 3 hari untuk membuat beberapa keputusan penting.

“Di antara agenda yang akan dibincangkan termasuklah membuat keputusan mengenai cadangan pengambilalihan National Meat & Livestock Corporation (NMLC) yang dimiliki oleh keluarga Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil oleh NFC.

“Saya percaya tindakan tergesa-gesa memanggil mesyuarat Lembaga Pengarah NFC dan EGM dalam tempoh yang singkat ini berniat tidak baik dan akan mengganggu siasatan terhadap NFC yang sedang berjalan," katanya.

Justeru, Rafizi berkata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak selaku Menteri Kewangan tidak lagi sepatutnya membisu.

Sebaliknya, beliau perlu campur tangan segera dengan membekukan sebarang aktiviti an keputusan di dalam semua syarikat-syarikat yang pernah menggunakan dana RM250 juta yang diberikan oleh kerajaan.

“Bukan sahaja Menteri Kewangan cuba mencuci tangan dengan langsung tidak menerima pertanggungjawaban walaupun beliau sendiri yang menganugerahkan projek ini kepada NFC, malah kini kecuaian beliau boleh menyebabkan baki dana dan harta yang dibeli dengan dana rakyat lesap melalui pelbagai urusniaga yang dibuat selepas skandal ini didedahkan.

“Oleh kerana ada cubaan di pihak NFC untuk menjalankan urusniaga yang mencurigakan, saya mencadangkan Kerajaan Malaysia melalui wakil-wakilnya di dalam Lembaga Pengarah NFC perlu melantik pentadbir korporat sementara yang bebas untuk mengambilalih pentadbiran NFC sementara siasatan selesai.

“Tindakan ini bertepatan dengan amalan tatakelola yang baik seperti yang biasa diamalkan untuk mengelakkan lebih banyak penyelewengan berlaku.,” katanya.

NFC adalah sebuah syarikat berkaitan kerajaan melalui saham khas yang dimiliki oleh Kementerian Kewangan.

source:malaysiakini

Shahrizat dodges NFC bribery query

cheers.