NATIONAL Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp) executive chairman Mohamad Salleh Ismail expressed his gratitude to God that the allegations cast upon him and his family for over 12 years have finally been proven false.

He said a decision made by the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday vindicated him and his three children, namely Wan Shahinur Izran, Wan Shahinur Izmir and Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah, of the accusations thrown at them since the NFC trial began in 2012. 

“In a clear and lucid judgment, judge Anand Ponnudurai based his decision on the facts presented in court, asserting that there was no misconduct or any wrongdoing by us and that all transactions, including property investments, were conducted in accordance with procedures.

“Although I had been previously ‘convicted’ in the court of public opinion, I am grateful that on Friday, the most important of all days, the country’s legal system upheld the truth and exonerated me and my family,” he said in a statement today.

Salleh, who is the husband of former women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, said his wife, too, became a victim of political slander and persecution.

“When she willingly resigned from the cabinet due to the allegations, I was deeply saddened, but we submit to the will of the Almighty,” he added.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday ordered NFCorp to repay the government RM33,743,591.37, the unutilised amount loaned to it in connection with the National Feedlot Centre project in Gemas, Negri Sembilan.

The government, as the plaintiff, had filed the suit against NFCorp and 10 others, including Salleh and his three children, as well as six companies controlled by Salleh’s family, seeking the defendants to repay RM253.6 million in loans for the project. 

The plaintiff said the loan was disbursed in three tranches and Salleh’s family was claimed to have made 10 withdrawals amounting to RM180.51 million from January 24, 2008 to January 3, 2011.

Anand, in his judgment, ruled that there was no proof that the loan had been misused by the defendants and also found that the plaintiff had failed to prove any form of dishonesty by the defendants.

He also allowed the defendants’ counterclaim and ordered the government to pay RM10,000 in nominal damages to them. – Bernama, October 14, 2023.