Category: Auditor-General Report

R. Nadeswaran
[email protected]
23 February 2012

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23, 2012): The National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) bought luxury condominiums without the approval of the board of directors. Three government representatives who sit on the board were not consulted or told about the purchase.

Alias Mohd Yassin and Manaf Hussein represented the Agriculture and Finance Ministries respectively while Datuk Mat Ali Hassan was appointed by virtue of him being the Negri Sembilan state secretary.

These appointments were made to “safeguard the interests of the federal government and stakeholders and the state government as it provided the land.”

“At no time were these directors told of the purchase of the condominiums and other so-called investments and neither were they aware of it until the matter was reported in the media,” a source close to the investigations said. Continue reading “NFCorp directors in the dark”

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The DAP today accused the government of not reporting RM96.9 billion in loans it has guaranteed as public debt, which would push the amount of federal loans above the 55 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) allowed by law.

Party publicity chief Tony Pua said the combined public debt of RM455.7 billion reported last year and the “off-balance sheet” financing would amount to RM552.6 billion, or 65.2 per cent of the economy.

“For all intents and purposes, even though these loans are not taken by the government, they are essentially government debt or otherwise known as contingent liabilities.

“This expanded figure would then constitute 65.2 per cent of our GDP, well above the 55 per cent federal government loan limit as defined in the Loan (Local) Act 1959 and Government Funding Act 1983,” Pua (picture) said in a statement today.

Malaysia’s national debt has been a hotly debated issue after the Auditor-General said in October it grew by 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion in 2010, or 53.1 per cent of GDP. Continue reading “DAP: RM97b in hidden loans pushes public debt over legal limit”

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 14, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Datuk Seri Noh Omar insisted today he did not know if the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) breached loan conditions despite de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz pointing out the family of their Cabinet colleague Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil should return the RM250 million federal loan.

The agriculture and agro-based industry minister said he could not comment as he has yet to receive any information from ongoing investigations into the controversial national cattle farming project.

“I don’t know. I don’t know because we have not received any decision. As agriculture minister, I have not received any report. Let them investigate,” he told reporters here.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri said earlier today NFCorp, owned by Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat’s husband and three children, had committed breach of trust by using the government loan meant for cattle farming to fund other purchases. Continue reading “I don’t know, Noh Omar says of NFC breach of trust”

What is the response of the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development and Wanita UMNO leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to the advice of her Cabinet colleague, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that her family repay the RM250 million government loan obtained for the scandal-ridden National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project?

Would she be telling the Cabinet meeting tomorrow her response to Nazri’s advice who had claimed that this was the best solution to put an end to the ongoing controversy without forcing her resignation as Minister?

Equally important, does the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak as well as the other Cabinet Ministers agree with Nazri?

Nazri’s shocking suggestion has raised many questions as well as evoked various scenarios.

Firstly, can a deal be struck with anyone facing or likely to face criminal charges for being caught in a sticky political situation? Continue reading “Whole reward-punishment system becomes topsy-turvy if a deal can be struck with Shahrizat’s family”

— Whistleblower 57
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 13, 2012

FEB 13 — Nazri Aziz is the Prime Minister’s troubleshooter and his statement in Sinar Harian about the case must be seen in this light. His suggestion that everything will be fine after Shahrizat Jalil’s family/her repay the RM250 million loan is not his idea but a compromise put together by Putrajaya.

As part of this drama script, the police will recommend that some form of charge be brought against NFC directors but the MACC aka the protectors of corrupt practices in government will clear Shahrizat.

Shahrizat’s family will be given a slap on their wrist and she will not have to resign. The audit firm hired by the government will come out with a report to talk about weaknesses in the NFC process and make a suggestion for the government to either shut it down or take over.

The audit firm will make some recommendations which the government will promise to implement.

The family behind Cowgate will have to relinquish their properties, etc and will be expected to fade away. But Shahrizat will not be forced to resign from Wanita Umno or the government.

This is the brilliant ending to the NFC saga but there is only one spanner in the works and that is the fact that more than RM150 million of the RM250 million was used without proper authorisation. Continue reading “Happy ending for NFC saga”

R. Nadeswaran
The Sun
12 February 2012

HAVING followed the issue of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) from afar and having had access to both sides of the divide in the past, it makes an interesting change to look at it up close from a local perspective and feel the pulse of the ordinary citizen.

Even if resolved, this issue is not going to go away and die a natural death as it involves people’s money. It has been argued that it is a misuse of public funds and that every sen must be accounted for and spent prudently. But NFCorp CEO Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh does not think so and came out with guns blazing last week claiming otherwise.

Short of saying that “it is our money, we can do what we want with it”, he declared: “On the note of investing in short-term investments, NFC retains the prerogative to invest the funds in the best interests of the company.”

Wan Shahinur charged: “The idea of NFCorp’s loan money being equated to public funds by hardline critics is a political play intended to deceive the public.”

This writer is not a politician and believes in honesty and integrity. Neither am I a hardline critic but an ardent campaigner for transparency and accountability and practise them to the hilt. However one looks at it, ultimately, it is the people’s money – hard-earned money from taxpayers who keep the administration and business machinery ticking, working hard, sometimes at odd hours and under adverse conditions. Continue reading “It’s our money”

My statement on January 24 calling on Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid to resign as Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman if he is not prepared to convene an emergency PAC meeting to investigate into the RM330 million National Feedlot Centre/National Feedlot Corporation (NFC/NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal so as to be able to report to Parliament next month has been vindcated by none other than the NFCorp chief executive officer Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh.

Wan Shahinur Izran came out with a most shocking assertion yesterday when he said in a statement:

“The issue of NFC managing its loan monies amounting to RM250 million is the company’s responsibility to administer and utilise. NFC retains the prerogative to invest the funds in the best interests of the company.”

Can this shocking claim be true, that NFCorp has been given a completely blank cheque to do what it likes with the RM250 million loan from the Finance Ministry although completely unrelated to the “high impact” NFC economic project to promote beef self-sufficiency in the country?

If true, then the “political masters” responsible for this decision at the relevant time, whether Tun Abdullah, who was the Prime Minister when the project and loan was approved, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on “High Impact Projects” or Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries should be hauled up before the PAC for the whole truth to be told.

If untrue, it is the responsibility of PAC to get to the bottom of the matter and report to Parliament when it reconvenes on March 12.
Continue reading “Azmi should step down as PAC Chairman if he is not prepared to convene emergency PAC meeting to investigate into propriety of RM250 million government loan to NFCorp so as to be able to report to Parliament next month”

Now, even Gerakan, the political party whose President had to get into Cabinet by the backdoor of Parliament, has joined the pack of wolves in Barisan Nasional demanding for the resignation of Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil as Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.

Although couched in the sweetest of words, calling on Shahrizat to “sacrifice” for Barisan Nasional and expressing “much sympathy” for her, the Gerakan Deputy President Datuk Chang Ko Youn hoped that the Wanita UMNO chief will have the “magnanimity to vacate her position as a minister in the cabinet and focus her energy on combating this…assault on her family”.

It will not be long before Gerakan leaders themselves will be asked by their Umno counterparts to make “sacrifices” for the larger interests of UMNO and Barisan Nasional.

Be that as it may, it is clear that the Gerakan Deputy President has either not heard or believed Shahrizat protesting in the loudest of voices that she is married to the chairperson of National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) which has nothing to do with her official duties as Minister of the Cabinet.

The question is how many Ministers, Members of Parliament and Barisan Nasional leaders at all levels are of the same mind – not heard or believed Shahrizat’s protestations. Continue reading “Let MPs have a free vote when Parliament reconvenes on 12th March on whether Shahrizat should resign as Minister over the RM330 million NFC “cattle condo” scandal”

Is the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil returning to her first Cabinet meeting tomorrow after her three-week leave triumphant or chastened?

All the signs are that Shahrizat has returned from her three-week leave completely unrepentant about the RM330 million National Feedlot Centre/National Feedlot Corporation (NFC/NFCorpn) “cattle condo” scandal which had plunged the 34-month Najib premiership to the lowest point in terms of public accountability and integrity and threatened to topple Malaysia’s Transparency International Corruption (TI) Perception Index (CPI) 2012 next year to a new low in both CPI score and ranking – even lower than the deplorable 60th ranking and 4.3 score in TI CPI 2011.

Shahrizat came back from her leave even more combative and truculent, as if challenging not only her known public detractors but the unseen forces in UMNO and Barisan Nasional to a battle royale to force her to relinquish her positions in both government and party over the NFC scandal – as Cabinet Minister and Umno Wanita chief!

The Cabinet meeting tomorrow will be the national focus tomorrow, whether the Prime Minister and the Ministers dare to state the obvious – that she should extend her leave as the rationale of her three-week leave to allow the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) to clear her of any corruption, abuse of power or conflict of interests in the “cattle condo” scandal has not yet been achieved – or to be cowed by her triumphant return, although MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek had blamed her for the “poor handling” of “cattle condo” scandal, causing the public to perceive the NFC project as “real rotten”? Continue reading “Shahrizat returning to her first Cabinet meeting tomorrow after her 3-week leave triumphant or chastened?”

Mariam Mokhtar | Feb 6, 2012
Malaysiakini

There was one serious flaw in the success story of Malaya: The emergent Malaysia bred generations of Malay politicians who, when caught with their hands in the public kitty, will do anything to hang on to power.

They continue nonchalantly because they are confident their peers will play along with the charade.

They delight in “proving their innocence” by swearing on the Quran. Some think that by seeking absolution from God, by going on umrahs, they are able to convince the god-fearing public, that the pilgrimage is a testament of their innocence.

The National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal hangs like a millstone around the neck of the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Continue reading “Shahrizat is Najib’s millstone”

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Wanita UMNO leader and Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, has returned from her three-week leave from Cabinet with all guns blazing but instead of slaying the ghost of the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal, she has only reared more monsters.

When announcing her leave on January 12, Shahrizat said: “I hope the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will be able to investigate whether or not I was involved in any of the decisions made by the government on the NFC in which my husband, Datuk Seri Dr Mohammad Salleh Ismail, is the executive chairman.”

Has Shahrizat been cleared of any impropriety, abuse of power or conflict of interest in the RM330 million NFC “cattle condo” scandal by the MACC?

The answer is in the negative. As the purpose of her Ministerial leave has not been achieved, shouldn’t her Cabinet leave be extended until a clear answer is available?

In the absence of any unequivocal exoneration by the MACC, the only alternative open to Shahrizat is to rebut one by one the many specific allegations of abuses of public funds or her knowledge/complicity, for instance allegations like the RM13.8 million used for purchasing luxury condominiums in Bangsar, RM10 million to purchase a luxury condominium in Singapore, RM3.4 million for plots of land in Putrajaya, RM830,000 for holiday trips, RM530,000 for a luxury car, payment of RM600,000 credit card bill for Shahrizat’s family, etc. Continue reading “Shahrizat returns from leave with all guns blazing – not slayed the ghost of the “cattle condo” scandal but reared more monsters”

By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 05, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today said she will send the wing’s trademark red and white baju kurung to her “stalker” in PKR, whom she joked wanted to assume her post.

In an apparent reference to Rafizi Ramli, who has led PKR’s attacks on Shahrizat and the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), the federal minister said the idea had been mooted by Perak Wanita Umno at a recent meeting.

“He will look good in red and white as he’s a little jambu (effete). Wanita Umno will pack the red and white garments and send them to my stalker,” she told reporters at Hospital Kuala Lumpur here.

“Because I think this particular person aspires to be Wanita Umno chief, maybe because he’s a wannabe leader (but) his party doesn’t have many members. Wanita Umno has 1.3 million members so he can feel the strength.” Continue reading “Wanita Umno to give Rafizi wing’s trademark baju kurung, says Shahrizat”

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 04, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — A former senior officer questioned today the police’s reluctance to act against Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family in the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal, saying it should only take “hours” to determine if they had misused project funds for their umrah trips.

“Why is the police afraid of taking action against Shahrizat’s (picture) husband and son?” former city CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim wrote in an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police today.

“To check records and determine if Mohamed Salleh (Shahrizat’s husband) and Wan Shahinur (Shahrizat’s son) used RM31,580 in NFC funds to pay for their umrah in November 2010 only needs a few hours of investigation,” he pointed out. Continue reading “Mat Zain: Cops can determine ‘within hours’ if NFC funded umrah”

Just before the Chinese New Year, the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek gave an interview where he blamed the Barisan Nasional government, “particularly embattled minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil”, for the “poor handling” of the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal, causing the public to perceive the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project as “real rotten”.

If the MCA President is right, then the four MCA Ministers must also bear full responsibility as they have allowed the RM330 million “cattle condo” to drag on for three months in the public limelight, with the relentless expose of one abuse of power and misuse of public funds after another, without any rebuttal and providing no light whatsoever “at the end of the tunnel”!

In fact, as it is more than six months since the completion and submission to the government of the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 in early July last year which led to the expose of the “terrible mess” of the NFC scandal, Malaysians are entitled to an explanation why the Cabinet (including the four MCA Ministers) had been sleeping on their jobs to get to the very bottom of the NFC scandal?

In view of the MCA President’s statement blaming the “rotten mess” of the NFC scandal on Barisan Nasional’s “poor handling”, are the four MCA Ministers prepared to make amends for their ministerial cowardice and irresponsibility by speaking up in first post-Chinese New Year Cabinet meeting for full public transparency and accountability for the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal? Continue reading “4 MCA Ministers should make amends for their ministerial cowardice/irresponsibility by speaking up in first post-CNY Cabinet meeting for full public transparency and accountability for the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal”

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be one of the casualties of the RM330 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal with Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid’s PAC Chairmanship remembered for his refusal to allow the PAC to investigate the scandal.

The Malaysian Insider report today quoting PAC members that there was no personal guarantee involved in the RM250 million government loan to NFCorp, giving rise to the question who is accountable to repay if the NFC project fails, has raised anew the issue why Azmi as PAC Chairman is single-handedly blocking the PAC from probing further into the “cattle condo” scandal highlighted after the Auditor-General’s Report 2010.

Azmi should reconsider his refusal to even convene a meeting of PAC to let the PAC members decide whether to proceed to conduct investigations into the “cattle condo” scandal or to suspend all PAC probes pending the outcome of police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations – when PAC members well know that the Malaysian public have little confidence that much would come out of police and MACC investigations.

In fact, as a member of the Tun Abdullah Cabinet which approved controversial NFC project in 2006, Azmi should not take part in any PAC discussion and decision whether PAC should investigate the “cattle condo” scandal – although Azmi claimed he could not remember whether the Cabinet during his time had discussed the project. Continue reading “Azmi Khalid’s PAC Chairmanship will be remembered for his refusal to allow PAC to investigate the RM330 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal”

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was very quick and abrupt yesterday in rejecting my call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal, eager to pronounce the idea as “dead as a dodo”.

Malaysians everywhere are asking who is Muhyiddin to reject the call for a RCI into the “cattle condo” scandal when Muhyiddin himself, as the Agriculture and Agro-based Minister who approved the controversial project back in 2006, would himself be one of the subjects and personalities of any RCI investigation?

It smacks of conflict of interest on Muhyiddin’s part and he should exclude himself from any decision-making as to whether there should be a RCI into the cattle condo scandal, instead of being so gung-ho in opposing the proposal.

It is downright disgraceful that the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal had dragged out publicly for three months like a soap opera without any satisfactory conclusion – which is a most telling indictment of the lack of political will of the Najib administration to declare effective and meaningful war on corruption and be an example of an open, accountable and transparent governance as promised in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is unable to satisfactorily handle the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal after three months, who believe that he has the political will to lead an all-out war against corruption which cost the country RM28 billion a year or address the problem of over a trillion-ringgit outflow of illicit capital overseas in a decade from 2000 to 2009 because of corruption and other financial malpractices? Continue reading “New PR government in Putrajaya will establish RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal”

— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 27, 2012

JAN 27 — So, the people at the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) and their great supporter, Perkasa, are now playing semantics.

They are arguing that the Auditor-General never mentioned that NFCorp was a mess, that he instead mentioned the management of the project was weak or some admin-speak to that effect.

In the English language, we say that this is someone trying to shut the barn door after the horse has bolted or, should I say, after the cows have run off. It is too late for your verbal gymnastics.

My advice to Shahrizat Jalil’s family is just to seek forgiveness from the people of Malaysia. Don’t even bother relying on the Auditor-General for a crutch.

In my eyes, the Auditor-General failed us the taxpayers miserably! I say this because this was not some poor management or wrong allocation of resources. This was a scandal of massive proportions.

If not for the whistleblower and the opposition, would we have known about the condos, the umrah packages, and the personal expenses? And I have not even touched on the running of the feedlot project in Gemas or why this particular bunch of individuals were given this project. Continue reading “The Auditor-General failed us”

Jeswan Kaur | January 28, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

If indeed the word “mess” was not used in his 2010 report to describe the state of affairs in the NFC, why did the Auditor General take three months to issue a clarification.

COMMENT

Three months ago, the Auditor-General declared the National Feedlot Centre project worth RM73.64 million was in a ‘mess’, so much so he suggested that the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry ministry talk with the Finance Ministry to determine the “direction of the project”.

Now, Ambrin Buang is saying that his report at no point mentioned that the NFC project was in a mess. The term “mess” he says was conjured by the press. Ambrin told the MCA-owned The Star that his team had never used words such as “mess”, “chaos” and “misappropriation” to describe the project.

Ambrin said: “These words were used by other parties and the department should not be held responsible. The department is of the opinion that if there are any elements of misappropriation in the implementation of this project, it would be up to the authorities such as the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate.”

If indeed the word “mess” was not mentioned by the report, why did it take Ambrin three months to clarify? Is it not obvious that he has come under pressure from the ‘powers that be’ to do some damage control on this issue which has opened up a can of worms? Continue reading “Is govt dictating terms to Ambrin?”

Four things are clear.

First, that there is something very rotten about the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal – what with a RM250 million soft loan at 2% interest to promote cattle production used to buy two units of luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and another condominium in Singapore, purchase of land in Precinct 10 Putrajaya, close to a million ringgit expenditures on overseas trips and extraordinarily high salaries for the family members of Datuk Seri Shahrizat, Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.

Second, that very high-level personalities are involved whether in the scandal or in the decision-making process resulting in the scandal, and that the personalities who must clear themselves include not only Shahrizat but also the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was then Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on High Impact Projects which approved the NFC project in 2006, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, Datuk Seri Nor Omar, current Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, even the former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah as well as the entire former Cabinet before the 12th General Elections on March 8, 2008.

Third, the initial reactions of the various authorities unanimously trying to avoid touching the NFC/NF Corp scandal with a “barge pole”, although the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang signed off the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 on 8th July 2011 with copies sent to the various relevant authorities, including the Cabinet – which probably explains the irresponsible inactions for more than six months, the delayed presentation of the Auditor-General’s Report in Parliament on October 25 when it should have been tabled in Parliament more than three weeks earlier on the first day of the Budget Parliament on 3rd October; the initial five-month refusal of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the scandal; the refusal of the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid to allow the PAC to conduct immediate and urgent investigations into the scandal although the PAC may cease to exist any time with the imminent dissolution of Parliament for the 13th General Elections and the continued refusal of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to agree to a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the scandal. Continue reading “Why patriotic Malaysians must unite as one and in loud and clear voice demand for a RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal”

By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 26, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should use his powers as prime minister to expedite the probe into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a former senior police officer said today.

Former city CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said Najib could instruct the police, graftbusters and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to finish investigating the scandal-hit livestock company within a fortnight.

“Straightforward criminal breach of trust cases like [NFCorp] need at most two weeks,” he said in a statement.

“If the PM says he can’t interfere in the investigation or decision to prosecute, that’s just a weak and childish excuse.”

Mat Zain pointed out that in 1998, then-Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had ordered him to quickly wrap up the high-profile investigation into Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye, failing which a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) would be set up to look into the police force. Continue reading “Instruct police to speed up NFCorp probe, ex-top cop tells Najib”