VIDEO | 2:45 mins

National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail has lodged two police reports alleging slander by PKR politicians Zuraida Kamaruddin and Rafizi Ramli against the company.

He claimed that their remarks describing the NFC as being in a mess had alarmed the government, financial and business communities and led to the company’s assets being frozen, while banking facilities were withdrawn.

NONE “We lodged the reports (yesterday because) the (2010) Auditor-General’s Report had clearly referred to the National Feedlot Centre (as having failed to meet its targets) and not to the NFC,” he said today.

“The auditor-general has come up with a media statement to clarify this matter. The comment made by the AG was about the government project. (So) why have NFC and my wife (former federal minister) Shahrizat (Abdul Jalil) been attacked by the duo ...?”

Salleh said that NFC, as a private company, is not subject to an audit by the auditor-general.

He stressed that the company had been just a component of the National Feedlot Centre and occupied 1,500 acres of the 5,000 acres allotted to the centre by the Negri Sembilan government.

As to why he is only now clarifying the issues, he said that - when the matter had first come up - he had been subjected to continuous investigations by the authorities, including the police, almost every day.

“Since the (13th) general election is over, this is an opportune time to clarify it,” he said.

NONE He said Rafizi and Zuraida had also, at a Nov 1, 2011 press conference, misrepresented beef production expectations.

Rafizi had claimed that 330,000 head of cattle were expected in 2010, said Salleh, when - according to the Implementation Agreement which the company had signed with the government - a cumulative 246,000 head were only expected in 2014.

Part of the problem lay with the government’s delay in putting up a proper abattoir which could accommodate 350 head of cows being slaughtered per day as agreed, Salleh explained.

“The audit report states that the Finance Ministry had on May 27, 2009 directed that the construction of the abattoir and all project implementation be deferred until a Viability and Business model project study was conducted.

“This resulted in the NFC setting up a mini-abattoir, for which we received halal certification in June 2010. The mini-abattoir was our own initiative in resolving the problem.”

Soft loan ‘being repaid’

Salleh said the NFC had a paid-up capital of slightly above RM1 million for the project and the government had agreed to give a RM250 million soft loan to help bring in cows.

azlan He also said the company has been paying off the soft loan from the government up to today.

However, he declined to respond to questions on claims that part of the funds had been used to buy condominium units.

His lawyer Wan Shahrizal Wan Ladin, who was present, reminded reporters that the matter is still before the courts. Salleh has claimed trial to two counts of criminal breach of trust.

Asked about the progress of the proposed takeover of the company by a Malaysian and Japanese joint-venture, Salleh said he would reveal more at another press conference.

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