Rafizi’s claim shot down
> Company that bought London hotel still in operation, says deputy minister
PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Razali Ibrahim has rubbished a statement by PKR vicepresident Rafizi Ramli over ownership of a London hotel.
The purchase of the property is currently under probe by the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC).
Razali was responding to a statement by Rafizi that FIC London Hotel Pte Ltd, the company that purportedly owns the Grand Plaza Kensington Hotel, was shut down in May last year.
Razali said the company Rafizi was referring to was the initial company formed for the purpose of investment in the UK.
He pointed out that a new company with an almost similar name, FIC London Hotel (Private) Limited (FLH), was later formed and is now the owner of the hotel.
“We still own the hotel. But why didn’t Rafizi mention this existing company, and only highlighted the one that was formed in the early stages that no longer exists?
“If he had done his homework, he would have found the registration number of the existing company is still in operation.
“The matter was played up by the Opposition to confuse the rakyat, more so because the general election is near, as if we did something that would affect the Felda settlers,” he told a press conference yesterday, during which he produced a copy of an FLH share certificate dated Oct 13.
Razali added that the initial company was shut down as FIC had another platform to work with, and that it was struck off by the authorities there after it was left dormant.
On Oct 19, Rafizi claimed the company which owns the hotel, which is under probe by MACC for allegedly being overpaid by Felda, had closed down on May 3, 2016.
FIC chairman Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said the new company was formed as there was a change in terms of FIC’s investment structure subsequent to the incorporation of the first one.
“So instead of making use of the first company, another one was formed. That should explain why the original company was formed and no longer in use,” he said.
Meanwhile, Felda chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said Felda does not plan to take Rafizi to court over the matter, as he regarded the latter’s statement not as an accusation but merely a demand for answers.
In a separate development, Razali also announced FIC’s new board of directors, who were appointed in April this year, which included Syed Mohamed, Felda director-general Ab Ghani Mohd Ali and seven others, both from the government and private sector.
Shahrir had in January told the entire board of directors of FIC to resign to facilitate the re-organisation of the company.