Maybank Singapore's NFC suit withdrawal 'insensitive' to rakyat - Rafizi
Maybank Singapore Ltd yesterday reportedly withdrew a lawsuit against NFC chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail (above) and his two children.
This was for allegedly defaulting on two...
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli described the withdrawal of a lawsuit against National Feedlot Corporation (NFC)-linked individuals as insensitive to the struggles of the Malaysian public amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maybank Singapore Ltd yesterday reportedly withdrew a lawsuit against NFC chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail (above) and his two children.
This was for allegedly defaulting on two housing loan facilities amounting to S$2,534,203.41 (RM8 million) in Singapore.
Salleh is the husband of former women, family, and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
“The rakyat have not forgotten how difficult it was to get flexibility and leeway from the banks (including Maybank) to manage their debt instalments over the past two years.
“Many rakyat have also gone bankrupt for failing to pay off their debts, which were much smaller amounts than the debt NFC owed to Maybank Singapore.
“At the same time, Shahrizat’s family which owns NFC and owes tens of millions of the rakyat’s money appear to be getting special treatment, unlike the general public,” Rafizi said in a statement today.
He also pointed out that the withdrawal of the lawsuit means that Maybank can no longer file a new suit to claim the unpaid debt from NFC in the future.
Rafizi then noted that NFC has yet to pay him the amount of money as ordered by the Federal Court in their case and that his lawyers are following up on this matter in line with the law.
NFC had also informed the court in January this year that they were in negotiations with the federal government for an out-of-court settlement over the government’s lawsuit demanding the company repay a loan and interest amounting to RM253 million.
“Since Umno’s return as the federal government, there are signs that one by one, the NFC cases are being resolved without going through the proper legal channels as the ordinary rakyat have to go through.
“This shows how, if Umno returns to full power in Putrajaya, scandals involving the misuse of the rakyat’s money may be covered up just like that and former Umno leaders embroiled in corruption will be freed,” Rafizi said.
He also questioned why one of Salleh’s children, Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah, could still be appointed to positions in government agencies despite being one of the defendants in the Maybank Singapore lawsuit at the time.
In December last year, Wan Izzana was appointed as a non-executive director of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
She also holds positions in TalentCorp and the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
Rafizi said though the NFC case is more than a decade old, he will continue to monitor the issue. He added that he will not hesitate to initiate legal action to reclaim RM250 million that belongs to Malaysians.
Malaysiakini has reached out to NFC and Maybank for their response on this matter.
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