Isa Samad released from remand
PUTRAJAYA: The Magistrate’s Court yesterday released former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad after a five-day remand from Wednesday over a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation into the Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) purchase of a hotel in Kensington, London.
Subordinate Courts of Malaya registrar Datuk Zainal Abidin Kamarudin allowed the release of Mohd Isa, 68, on a bail of RM150,000 in two sureties.
Mohd Isa smiled as he walked out of the courtroom at 10.45 am and was greeted by shouts from his supporters at the compound of the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court.
Mohd Isa, clad in the MACC orange lock-up attire, was brought at 9.50 am to the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court, outside which more than 100 supporters and family members, including his wife Puan Sri Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid, had been waiting since 9 am.
Datuk K. Kumaraendran, who leads the team of lawyers representing Mohd Isa, said the MACC did not apply for an extension of the remand as his client had fully co-operated with the investigation.
Approached by reporters after the proceedings, Kumaraendran stressed that Mohd Isa was only detained to assist in the investigation and not as a suspect in the case.
Kumarendran said Mohd Isa was also ready to be called as a witness if there was any prosecution in the case.
The other lawyers in the team are Dev Kumaraendran, Ridha Ahdar Subry, Datuk Khairul Anwar Rahmat, Lavina Kumarendran and Datuk N. Sivananthan.
Mohd Isa was arrested at 4.30 pm on Tuesday after spending two hours having a statement recorded at the MACC headquarters here.
The case is being investigated under Section 16 of the MACC Act for alleged abuse of power in the purchase of a hotel in London in 2014/2015.
Meanwhile, Felda Global Venture Holdings Bhd (FGV) is expecting a report from the domestic inquiry panel on four senior members of management at the end of this month, says its acting chairman, Tan Sri Dr Sulaiman Mahbob.
Speaking to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) while sending off 76 pilgrims managed by Felda Travel yesterday, he said the FGV board of directors would make a decision based on findings and report from the panel.
“Whether they (the four being investigated) are guilty or not, we will decide (after receiving the panel’s report).
The board will think of the next plan of action. This is an internal investigation so the board has absolute right,” he said.
To date, he said, three of the four former board members had already been questioned, adding that it took a week to complete the investigation on each of them.
“Investigations are ongoing and so far, all involved have given their full cooperation. The inquiry panel comprises three independent members who are not involved in the decision making,” said Sulaiman.
It was reported earlier that the four people being investigated were FGV group president and chief executive officer Datuk Zakaria Arshad, group chief financial officer Ahmad Tifli Mohd Talha and two senior management officers.
Earlier in its filing with Bursa Malaysia, FGV informed that the board of directors had decided to refer Zakaria and Ahmad Tifli’s cases to a domestic inquiry panel after evaluating and considering their show- cause letters relating to outstanding payments from Safitex Trading LLC to Delima Oil Products, a subsidiary, of FGV.-Bernama