Whistleblower jailed but NFC loss goes unpunished

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 6 years ago · Published on 8 Feb 2018 7:00AM · 9 Comments

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and Public Bank Bhd clerk Johari Mohamad were to only ones punished over the National Feedlot Corporation scandal. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 8, 2018.

PANDAN MP Rafizi Ramli and a former bank clerk might be guilty of breaching Malaysia’s banking laws by leaking accounts of the National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC), but those who mismanaged the project remain free.

The PKR vice-president and Public Bank Bhd clerk Johari Mohamad were sentenced to 30 months’ jail yesterday for breaching the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia). They are appealing the sentence.

This whole episode has spawned a cottage industry of jokes, but the joke is on us – Malaysians.

A sum of RM250 million went down the drain for the ambitious project – ostensibly for food security by breeding cattle for meat – initiated during the Abdullah government but no one was held accountable. 

No one.

In 2011, Rafizi had exposed the national cattle breeder’s purchases of luxury condominium units. The NFC was owned by Mohamad Salleh Ismail, husband of Umno Wanita head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

The auditor-general’s report in 2010 had also highlighted NFC’s failure to achieve its target of breeding 8,000 head of cattle in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, besides noting its management failures.

The scandal pushed the Najib government not to renew Shahrizat’s senatorship in 2012, which meant she could no longer be a minister. She had earlier lost in Lembah Pantai in the 2008 general elections.

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.

In November 2016, Rafizi lost a defamation suit and was ordered to pay Salleh and NFC RM200,000 in damages for claiming that a bank loan taken by the company was used to purchase a condominium.

The only ones found guilty of any offence were Rafizi and Johari.

Shahrizat’s political career is still thriving, with ambitions of a comeback in the general election later this year, and the last check shows that the Wanita Umno leader’s family is still living well. 

As for the NFC, its Gemas farmland was last seen to have a few scrawny cows – a reminder of how public funds has been misspent with no one taken to task or made responsible for the scandal.

Now, do we need to wait for the whatever cows grazing at the NFC cattle farm to come home before action is taken against those who frittered away public funds meant for the greater good of the country? – February 8, 2018.

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Comments

  • This IS Bolehland at it's Best....what Public funds? Once it's with the Government, it's their funds and they get to spend and waste as they like...no questions asked! Period....is this the kind of Government we need. Not worthy of the trust empowered to them by the Rakyat? Enough...and this poor chap, Rafizi has to pay the price.....this Is Bolehland!!!!LOL

    Posted 6 years ago by Crishan Veera · Reply

  • Injustice and punishment totally absurd.

    Posted 6 years ago by Justice Fighter · Reply

  • No worries PH friends, injustice is unsustainable. Use this as another ceramah topic, and link how corruption affects living cost, etc

    Posted 6 years ago by Kuasa Rakyat · Reply

  • Win the election and we shall know what to do !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted 6 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • There is no transparency and accountability. Vote for those who will protect the interest of the common folk

    Posted 6 years ago by Mogan Rao · Reply

  • AND Hadi's PAS think defending the people who designed the system and abuse it to do this IS REQUIREMENT OF GOD????

    Posted 6 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • The case is just accelerating the pace of BN being kicked out of Putrajaya come this PRU14. A foolish BN is paying a price much dearer.

    Posted 6 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • It is sheer nonsense! It will send message to the rakyat that corruption or abused of power by BN is good for the nation! Those who do the right things go to jail..where is the justice?

    Posted 6 years ago by Ss Lee · Reply

  • One goes to prison ......Sharizat congratulated by the govt in awarding a Tan Sir.....in fact can be considered as a reward . Give a big clap please.

    Posted 6 years ago by Mohanarajan murugeson · Reply