Klang MP Charles Santiago urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate potential irregularities in the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) as alleged by former land and cooperatives deputy minister Tan Kee Kwong.

"I will lodge a report with the MACC tomorrow," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

In an open letter, former Gerakan turned PKR man Tan claimed that Felda's cash reserves had declined by RM200 million from RM4.5 billion in 2004, blaming the loss on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for his mismanagement.

gst 110310 charles santiago Tan pointed out that Felda had bought a "five-star office" located next to the Singapore High Commission and claimed that a deposit of 40 percent or RM230 million had been paid to the developers, Naza TTDI.

Santiago ( right ) said that no building has been constructed yet.

"This raises questions about the unusually high deposit and the possibility of the project being abandoned half-way," he added.

"Felda was initially mooted to look into the resettlement of rural poor into newly-developed areas as a way of alleviating rural poverty. Therefore, it simply cannot turn into another money-making avenue for the ruling elite," he said.

"I, therefore, call upon the MACC to initiate an urgent inquiry on the possibility of financial mismanagement of Felda and make its findings public."

Can Bakke save Sime Darby?

Santiago claimed that yesterday's appointment of Mohd Bakke Salleh as the new CEO of Sime Darby Group is highly questionable.

"Bakke is clearly (Prime Minister) Najib's man as his appointment to the top job in Sime Darby was given the final nod by the premier. His main concern would be to pull Sime Darby out of the financial mess (after a recorded loss of RM308.6 million) and refocus on the palm oil plantations and its downstream processing business," he explained.

NONE However he claimed that apart from Bakke's ( left ) close relationship with the prime minister, Bakke's track record is unimpressive and even tainted with a financial scandal during his stint as the CEO of Tabung Haji.

"In 2002, Tabung Haji was rocked by a financial scandal where the fund admitted it had violated its own rules by giving over RM169 million to private fund managers. The fund managers lost at least RM65 million in high risk investments," he claimed.

"Are we appointing inefficient people with a poor track record to run Sime Darby?", he asked.