A former Felda general manager in his late 60s was brought to Putrajaya Magistrate's Court on September 7 to face remand proceedings over allegations of abuse of power involving the appointment of a developer for a Kuala Lumpur project and the sale of Felda-owned land [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah ordered a five-day remand from September 7 to 11 [6, 3, 7, 5].
The man was detained around 4pm on September 6 with another man in his 50s after being called to give statements at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The pair are suspected of selling Felda land to a company linked to the developer without the knowledge of Felda's board and subsidiary [3, 7, 5].
The investigation covers alleged misappropriation, abuse of power, and corruption related to investment transactions and asset acquisitions by Felda and its subsidiary Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (FIC) from 2010 to 2020 [1, 2, 4, 5]. MACC launched seven investigation papers last week, including six opened on August 24 and one older active case undergoing Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) review [1, 2, 4, 5].
The probes include investments in Syarikat Tataran Aras Sdn Bhd (Limbang, Sarawak), the acquisition of Grand Borneo Hotel Sdn Bhd (Sabah), the purchase of Grand Plaza Service Apartments in London, the establishment of Felda Wellness Corporation, and acquisition of Felda House and Grand Felda House [1, 2, 4, 5]. A longstanding investigation involving the Park City Grand Plaza property remains active under MLA process [1, 2, 4, 5].
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman said the large-scale investigation, called "Ops Fella," focuses on transactions over the last decade, stressing, "The large-scale special investigation, 'Ops Fella', focused on investment transactions and asset acquisitions by the management of Felda and FIC over 10 years from 2010 to 2020" [1]. The case is being investigated under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009, which deals with soliciting or receiving gratification linked to transactions and carries penalties of up to 20 years’ imprisonment and fines [3, 7].
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on September 6 that matters involving a Felda subsidiary would be disclosed in the coming weeks to identify institutional weaknesses, stating, "Issues involving a Felda subsidiary would be exposed within the next few weeks. The disclosure was aimed at identifying weaknesses within the institution" [3, 7].
