TANJUNG MALIM: Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) chairmanTan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad is keeping mum regarding rumours that he had proposed for the removal of group president and chief executive officer Datuk Zakaria Arshad.
He said the matter needed further deliberation before a statement could be made.
“I will consult the board members. I can’t comment on the matter now and can’t say when the statement will be issued. “This matter needs deliberation by the board before we can come to a decision,” he said when pressed further.
Isa also refused to confirm whether the issue was discussed in a meeting with board members, which allegedly did not involve Zakaria, on Friday.
“We discussed a lot of things, including the establishment of FGV academy to improve the skills and knowledge of our staff especially in plantation (FGV’s core business). We are in the midst of ironing out the details and have identified suitable locations including Trolak for the academy that is expected to start operating this year,” he said after breaking fast at the Felda Residence in Trolak.
It has been speculated that Isa was said to have proposed the move during a recent board meeting, allegedly citing a late payment by an Afghan company called Safitex, of which an FGV subsidiary had dealings with.
Blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin had in his blog post yesterday said Zakaria whom he claimed was banned from being present at the meeting, was blamed for Safitex’s failure to clear the payment for shipment for September last year.
Raja Petra in his blog MalaysiaToday said Safitex had been doing business with Felda for the last 20 years and the company was well-known to Felda.
“The terms that have been set by Felda is that Safitex pays 10 per cent up-front on all orders and the balance after shipment.
“In fact, Isa is very close to the Afghan owner of that company ... The Safitex owner, however, is currently stranded in Afghanistan so he has not been able to clear the payment for his September 2016 shipment, the money which normally comes from Dubai.
“... And Isa is using that as an excuse to get rid of Zakaria, saying that the blame has to rest squarely on the shoulders of the CEO,” he wrote adding that Isa also alleged that Zakaria was not authorised to extend credit to Safitex and that if they had instead asked for a Letter of Credit, then this problem would not have arisen.
Raja Petra pointed out in the article that the credit facilities extended to Safitex, had in fact been in force even before Zakaria, who is from a Felda land settler family, was appointed the Group President and CEO of FGV.
“It was a business arrangement that had already existed and which Zakaria just continued ... and the board is aware of this ... plus (it) is aware of the contract that was signed in October 2015, which was witnessed by Isa himself.”
Raja Petra also suggested in the article that while the board members, were not in favour of what he said was an “unjust and high-handed action” against Zakaria, they might not have much of a choice.
Describing Zakaria as a straight-laced officer, Raja Petra suggested that if there were shenanigans going on in the organisation, he was not one to cover anyone’s tracks.
The blogger also pointed to several “Felda’s goldmine” developments in Kuala Lumpur, which he suggested were already under the radar of the country’s graft busters.