Ex-FIC boss denies fixing Isa over hotel purchase
V Anbalagan
-October 17, 2019 2:32 PM
Former FIC CEO Mohd Zaid Abdul Jalil at the High Court today.KUALA LUMPUR: A former Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) CEO who was once remanded by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today denied that he implicated former Felda chairman Isa Samad in the purchase of a hotel in Kuching.
Mohd Zaid Abdul Jalil said MACC had detained him for seven days in relation to the hotel purchase but was only questioned on FIC’s purchase of two hotels in Port Dickson and in the United Kingdom.
“In the course of their investigations, the MACC officers only asked me about the purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites in Kuching,” he said when cross examined by lawyer Salehuddin Saidin.
Zaid is the 15th prosecution witness in the graft trial of Isa, who is facing 10 CBT and corruption charges, including for receiving over RM3 million in approving the purchase of Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites for FIC.
Salehuddin: Do you agree that the MACC asked you to implicate Isa on the Kuching hotel purchase?
Zaid: I disagree.
Salehuddin: They told you to cooperate or you will be charged for criminal offences.
Zaid: No.
Questioned by deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz, Zaid dismissed a suggestion that MACC officers had coached him to reveal more information.
Yesterday, Zaid testified that all the FIC board members, including Isa, decided to go ahead and buy the hotel in Kuching for RM160 million.
He said he had voted against the decision as he was the one who suggested the price tag of RM153 million to buy property.
Zaid said that the decision was not recorded in the board meeting which met on April 29, 2014.
Zaid said Isa told the board members that the hotel purchase, which exceeded the RM100 million mandate, did not need to be tabled before the Felda board.
Today, he agreed with Salehuddin’s suggestion that FIC’s company secretary would have committed professional misconduct for their failure to record what exactly transpired at the meeting.
Earlier, when examined by Afzainizam, Zaid said the FIC board applied for additional RM7.3 million to refurbish the hotel after a sale and purchase agreement was signed.
Zaid, who resigned as CEO and director on April 1, 2015, said the board also decided to rename the hotel as Grand Plaza Kuching.
Hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues.
