FORMER Felda chairman Isa Samad has been remanded for five days by the Putrajaya magistrate’s court.

He was brought to the courthouse at 9.10am, clad in the bright orange Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) lock-up T-shirt.

Isa was escorted by MACC officers and his counsel, K. Kumarendran and Dev Kumaraendran. The team of defence lawyers also includes N. Sivananthan and Ridha Abdah Subry.

Present were a number of his family members. The lobby of the courthouse was crowded with media representatives and interested bystanders.

The remand order is in respect to Section 16 of the MACC Act, which covers the offence of accepting gratification.

If found guilty, the accused is liable to a maximum jail term of 20 years and a minimum fine of RM10,000 or five times the value of the gratification, whichever is higher.

Chief Registrar of the Federal Court  Zainal Abidin Kamarudin was the magistrate hearing the application for remand.

Deputy public prosecutor Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abdul Rahman prosecuted.

Isa was arrested yesterday on suspicion of corruption by MACC investigating Felda Investment Corporation’s (FIC) hotel purchases in London and Kuching.

He was nabbed when he presented himself at the MACC headquarters at 2.40pm yesterday to have his statement recorded.

K. Kumarendran said MACC may apply for an extension of the remand order after its initial request for a seven-day remand was cut down to five.

He said the commission’s prosecutors had said they were at the tail end of their probe, but needed Isa to be remanded to facilitate investigations.

“They said the reason they need Isa is because they want him to go through the documents that they have, and if he is released, it will hamper their investigations.

“MACC said they can apply to extend the remand order for further investigation,” he told reporters outside the court.

K. Kumarendran said his team argued during submissions that Isa should be released on the grounds that he was not a flight risk, and would not interfere with witnesses nor destroy evidence.

“We asked that he be detained at a hospital as he has an acute heart condition. We also submitted a medical specialist report to support his condition.

“However, the prosecutors assured the defence that Isa will be given proper medical attention, and if need be, he will be sent to IJN (National Heart Institute).”

MACC is investigating FIC’s purchase of a property in Kensington, London, between 2013 and 2015, for a total of £60 million (RM330 million), when the actual value of the property at the time of purchase was said to be RM110 million.

Isa resigned from his position in Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd before being appointed acting chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission two months ago.

Isa’s arrest has been commended by opposition leaders and civil society groups, and by Felda settlers themselves who said they hoped his arrest would lead to solutions for Felda’s problems. – August 16, 2017.