The National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) wants the judge hearing PKR vice president Rafizi Ramli's case under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 (Bafia) to be replaced on grounds that she is related to another PKR leader.

NFC said Shah Alam Sessions Court Judge Rozina Ayob had in 2013 recused herself from hearing PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad's case as their families were related.

In the same vein, NFC chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail ( left ) said Nik Nazmi reports to Rafizi who is his superior and therefore Rozina should likewise recuse herself.

“On the premise of this relationship, the attorney-general and the deputy public prosecutor for the Rafizi Ramli's Bafia case should be alerted to file a recusal because of a possible conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.

“My lawyers have advised that regardless of the decision made by Judge Rozina at the end of the case, the whole integrity of the trial would be questioned, especially in the light of the family relationship between her and PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad,” he said in a statement today.

NFC appeared upset that Judge Rozina had rejected a preliminary objection by the prosecution against Rafizi's bid to challenge the constitutionality of Bafia.

Rozina had fixed May 15 to hear Rafizi's application to refer the constitutionality of the law to the High Court.

Rafizi delaying the case

Salleh, who is the husband of Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, also accused Rafizi of delaying the case by challenging the constitutionality of Bafia.

"This application to challenge Bafia is actually an attempt by Rafizi to delay the trial of the charges against him and thus by extension, delaying and denying our entitlement to justice and punishment on the very person who had wronged NFC and myself,” he said.

Rafizi together with former Public Bank employee Johari Mohamad were on August 1, 2012 charged under Section 97 (1) of Bafia for unlawfully revealing banking information, which carries a jail term of up to three-years or RM3 million fine, or both.

Salleh slammed Rafizi for "misleading" the media by disclosing 21 public bank accounts claiming he had defaulted on loans for eight KL Eco City office lots in a series of expose about the usage of NFC's RM250 million government loan.

Salleh himself is facing criminal breach of trust charges over the usage of the funds which were meant for the creation of a national beef valley but were instead used to purchase properties.

"Rafizi lied, distorted and misrepresented the confidential banking information to the utter detriment of the plaintiffs and is being sued by NFC and its chairman in a separate law suit scheduled to commence trial from Oct 26 to 30," said NFC.