KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar have misled the Dewan Rakyat over the controversial National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project, claims PKR.
PKR said the NFC – a project to create Malaysia’s “Beef Valley” – had received the full amount of RM250 million in grants and loans, and was not partially funded as stated by Najib and Noh.
Last week, Najib in a written answer to Parliament said that as of July 31, 2011, only RM181.9 million was channelled to NFC. Noh in a separate press conference last week also supported Najib’s statement.
However, PKR today revealed that NFC’s financial statements showed that the full amount had been paid to NFC almost two years ago.
PKR chief strategist Rafizi Ramli said that the first loan drawdown of RM130 million was made in 2008. The second drawdown of RM120 million was made on March 31, 2009.
Rafizi also said that NFC was getting more income from this funding.
“An amount of RM116 million was transferred to a Public Bank fixed deposit account on May 6, 2009.
“Based on the financial statements filed at the Companies Commission of Malaysia, NFC had made an interest of RM666 952.96 (of the amount saved) as of the financial year which ended on Dec 31, 2009.
“This shows that the prime minister and the minister are clearly misleading the house,” said Rafizi.
Last week, PKR alleged that most of the beef NFC produced was sent to luxury restaurants owned by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s family.
This was in contrary to the sole purpose of the NFC project, which was to raise cattle to meet the domestic demand for beef.
PKR today also alleged that the meat supplied to these luxury restaurants were given at a further subsidised rate.
‘No longer a going concern’
It also alleged that the beef slaughtered at NFC clearly lagged behind its stipulated amount set by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry.
“In 2009, the average cost to import, breed and slaughter a cow at NFC was RM4,481, which is way higher than the market price which was RM2,500 to RM2,700.
“It is most scandalous that NFC gave a discount of almost RM3 million to Real Food Company Sdn Bhd (RFC) which operates the luxury restaurant Meatworks. Their reason was to reduce the sales price due to the high cost,” said Rafizi.
RFC is also allegedly owned by Shahrizat’s family.
RFC and another company, National Livestock & Meat Corp Sdn Bhd (NLMC), were associate companies and further funds were transferred to these companies.
NLMC is the marketing arm of NFC to promote the project’s beef. The company was given RM81 million loan, Rafizi said.
He said the RM81 million loan was clearly from the RM250 million allocated to NFC, adding that the breeding and sales of beef only cost about RM6 million.
Besides, both the associate companies have been dormant since 2007 as the last financial statement filed to the Companies Commission of Malaysia was on June 30, 2007.
Rafizi also said that NFC’s financial statements for the year ended Dec 31, 2009 also showed that a total of RM827,579 of the allocated amount was used for overseas trips and entertainment allowance for directors of the NFC project, who are Shahrizat’s family members.
He said that NFC suffered losses of RM7 million in 2008 and RM11 million in 2009 and according to the auditors, it was no longer “a going concern” as the company is no longer a viable business pursuit.
Rafizi expressed concern that the government will eventually have to forgo the loan given for the NFC project.
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