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The charges relate to an approval of a proposal for the purchase of a hotel in Kuching for Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd. #FMTNews
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Wednesday, 09 Oct 2019 06:36 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — The High Court here was told today that former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad ordered Felda to disburse urgently RM100 million to Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (FICSB) for the latter to pay Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd (GAP) for the purchase of Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites (MPHS) in Kuching, Sarawak.
Former Felda director-general Datuk Hanapi Suhada, 62, who went on compulsory retirement in 2017, said he received the verbal directive from Mohd Isa in May 2015.
FICSB, a subsidiary of Felda, bought MPHS for RM160 million in 2015.
The fifth prosecution witness was testifying during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz on the third day of Mohd Isa’s trial for criminal breach of trust and nine counts of corruption, involving more than RM3 million.
Afzainizam: Did you give any advice to Tan Sri Isa on the instruction?
Hanapi: No, as he was the chairman, I obeyed him.
During yesterday’s proceeding, Hanapi told the court that urgent payment of RM100 million had to be made by FICSB to GAP because the deadline for the payment was near, and if it failed to make the payment, it would be difficult for FICSB to own MPHS.
Hanapi said when Mohd Isa issued the directive, Felda’s Board of Directors (BOD) had not made any decision on the purchase of MPHS.
Afzainizam: Do you know the document (on the RM100 million payment) that you signed was not approved by Felda BOD?
Hanapi: I didn’t know.
Afzainizam: Had it known to you that it was not approved, will you sign it?
Hanapi: I’ll not sign it.
Afzainizam: You made payment of RM100 million on Tan Sri Isa’s directive?
Hanapi: Yes.
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Isa Samad court case: RM160m hotel purchase not according to Felda’s mandate — witness
If this rule is not observed, the FIC Board of Directors is said to have gone ahead with the investment without meeting the requirements as mandated,” said Siti. (Photo by The Edge)
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): The High Court here was told yesterday that former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad (pictured centre) had surpassed a mandate in the purchase of the RM160 million Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites (MPHS) in Kuching, Sarawak by Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (FIC).
Former FIC Legislative and Secretariat division chief, Siti Salwani Mohd Salleh, 41, said she learned this after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) questioned and recorded her statement on two to three occasions, in relation to the hotel purchase.
“It was set in the mandate that projects of over RM100 million managed by FIC, a subsidiary of Felda, must have the approval of the Felda Board of Directors.
“If this rule is not observed, the FIC Board of Directors is said to have gone ahead with the investment without meeting the requirements as mandated,” said the second prosecution witness in response to a supplementary question from deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz at the first day of Mohd Isa’s corruption trial before Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
Siti Salwani currently working as an administrative officer at Felda, also told the court that the MPSH purchase did not have the approval of the Felda Board of Directors and was against the mandate.
“However the MPHS purchase is still valid under the sale and purchase agreement between Syarikat Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd and FIC … it was the Board of Directors responsibility to prepare the paperwork for approval of the purchase.
“However, no paperwork was prepared by FIC Board of Directors after that,” she said adding that FIC deals in real estate investment business.
Earlier, first prosecution witness, Muhammad Akmaludin Abdullah, 35, assistant registrar of Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) said he received an application from the MACC to search records and documents related to FIC and two other companies, Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd and JV Evolution Sdn Bhd.
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https://twitter.com/pklnhulu1989/status/1181012583660179457?s=20
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KUALA LUMPUR: The hearing of the RM3 million corruption and criminal breach of trust (CBT) case involving former Felda chairman Isa Abdul Samad will begin tomorrow at the High Court here with the prosecution ready with five witnesses.
According to the case list at the court, the hearing of Isa’s case will be before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali from 9am tomorrow until Oct 10 when it will be adjourned and continued again from Oct 14 to 25.
On Dec 14, 2018, Isa had pleaded not guilty to one count of CBT and nine counts of receiving gratification, amounting to more than RM3 million, by approving a proposal for the purchase of a hotel in Kuching for Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) Sdn Bhd.
He was alleged to have committed the offence at Level 50, Menara Felda, Platinum Park, No. 11, Persiaran KLCC, near here on April 29, 2014.
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In 2014, Felda Investment Corporation bought the 213-room Merdeka Palace Hotel for RM160 million when it was valued at only RM110 million.
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14 December 2018
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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad claimed trial today to one charge of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and nine charges with receiving RM3.09 million in bribes over the purchase of a hotel in Sarawak.
Mohd Isa was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code for CBT for allegedly approving the purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel and Suites Kuching worth RM160 million without the approval of Felda board members and going against a board meeting on June 25, 2013, as the chairman of Felda Investment Corporation Berhad (FIC) is only mandated to make investment decisions on projects below RM100 million.
He was also charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 for corruptly soliciting, receiving or agreeing to receive any gratification as an inducement or reward over the purchase of the hotel.
On the nine counts of accepting bribes, Mohd Isa was accused of receiving RM100,000, RM140,000 and RM250,000 on three occassions, two separate deposits of RM300,000 each, and four instances with RM500,000 each.
The former Negri Sembilan mentri besar who stood in the dock before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi nodded in acknowledgement when the charges were read out to him.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He was accused of committing the offences during his tenure as FIC chairman between April 2014 and December 2015 at Menara Felda, Platinum Park, Persiaran KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
Mohd Isa’s former special officer and current political secretary to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muhammad Zahid Mohd Arip, was also implicated as the middleman for the cash transfer between Ikhwan Zaidel, a board member at Syarikat Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd, in nine of the bribery charges.
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13 December 2018
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PETALING JAYA: Former Felda chairman Isa Samad is expected to be charged tomorrow, believed to be over the purchase of hotels by Felda Investment Corporation (FIC), the investment arm of the national land agency.
Isa’s lawyer, K Kumaraendran, told FMT this after the former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar was questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for about 20 minutes today.
Isa arrived at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya at 11am.
“He gave an undertaking to appear in court tomorrow.He was not remanded,” Kumaraendran said when contacted.
Isa was arrested by the MACC in August last year in connection with the purchase of hotels between 2014 and 2015, one in London and another in Sarawak.
The London hotel is likely the four-star Grand Plaza Kensington Hotel which FIC acquired on Dec 16, 2014.
The hotel has 62 rooms and is located at Lexham Gardens in the exclusive district of Kensington and Chelsea.
Preliminary investigations by MACC revealed that FIC was believed to have bought the hotel at a much higher price than the market price, resulting in FIC allegedly losing millions of ringgit.
The four-star hotel in Kuching is also believed to have been bought at a price much higher than the original value.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/12/13/isa-samad-to-be-charged-tomorrow/
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10 November 2018
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PETALING JAYA: Former Umno leader Isa Samad is expected to be charged with abuse of power related to an overpriced purchase of a Sarawak hotel when he was chairman of national land agency Felda.
The Straits Times cited sources as saying that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is expected to recommend charges against Isa after completing its probe into Felda’s 2014 purchase of the Merdeka Palace hotel in Kuching, Sarawak.
“The MACC will be submitting the completed investigation papers and its recommendations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers next week. It will then wait for the AGC’s order for the next course of action,” a source told the Singapore daily.
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KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is preparing charges of power abuse against Felda ex-chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad in relation to the inflated purchase price of a hotel in Kuching, Sarawak.
The Straits Times cited sources as saying the commission has concluded its probe into Felda’s 2014 acquisition of the Merdeka Palace Hotel and will recommend charges to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) next week.
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KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is preparing charges of power abuse against Felda ex-chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad in relation to the inflated purchase price of a hotel in Kuching, Sarawak.
The Straits Times cited sources as saying the commission has concluded its probe into Felda’s 2014 acquisition of the Merdeka Palace Hotel and will recommend charges to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) next week.
“There was insufficient evidence (to charge him) due to limited access before but investigators picked up where they left off when new proof emerged.
“The MACC will be submitting the completed investigation papers and its recommendations to the Attorney General’s Chambers next week. It will then wait for the AGC’s order for the next course of action,” an unnamed source told the Singapore daily.
It also reported that the commission is considering charges under Section 23 of the MACC Act that covers the abuse of one’s office for personal gratification, with Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas briefed on the case around three days ago.
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weehingthong 
M boleh