THE government will reopen investigations into the controversial National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal.

“The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry will reopen investigations on the cattle breeding project case under the NFC,” minister Salahuddin Ayub said in a three-paragraph statement today.

The statement, which did not offer details into the plan to reopen the probe, was posted on Amanah’s Facebook page earlier today.

Salahuddin said the reopening of the case was in line with Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) commitment to investigate all misappropriation scandals.

PH had pledged in its GE14 manifesto to investigate scandals involving federal-linked companies and organisations like 1Malaysia Development Bhd, Felda and Mara.

The NFC scandal – popularly known as the cows and condos scandal – involves Mohamed Salleh Ismail, the husband of Wanita Umno head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

NFC received a soft loan of RM250 million from the previous Barisan Nasional government during the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administration with the promise it would breed 8,000 cattles by 2010 to enhance Malaysia’s food security and reduce the need to import beef.

But NFC, with its RM74 million 600-ha plot of land in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, only managed to breed 3,289 cows. This is only 41% of its targeted number, according to the auditor-general’s report.

In 2011, PKR vice-president and former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli exposed the cattle breeder’s purchase of luxury condominium units.

Salleh was charged with four counts of misappropriating a total of RM49.7 million from NFC the same year, but was later acquitted of all charges. He also won a defamation suit against Rafizi.

On February 7, Rafizi and former Public Bank clerk Johari Mohamad were found guilty and sentenced to 30 months’ jail by the Shah Alam sessions court for breaching the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) for leaking confidential banking information related to NFC. – May 24, 2018.