Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Noh Omar claimed that the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) had not used government funds for the controversial purchase of a RM9.8 million luxury condominium.

NONE The minister explained that once NFC received money from the government, it was thereafter considered the company’s private funds and the government had no say as to how it would be used.

In a Sinar Harian report today, Noh ( left ) explained that the government had loaned NFC RM250 million made into a special loan account (SLA) in Maybank that was controlled by the Finance Ministry.

Noh said RM181 million from that account had been disbursed to NFC based on the latter’s claims.

The government only had control of funds that were in the SLA, but had none over how the company spends the money once it has been disbursed, said the minister.

“If the money has been paid to NFC after fulfilling set conditions, the government cannot control what NFC does with it, including purchasing the said condominium, because it is then considered the company’s money.

“Claims made by NFC are related to farm management only, and has absolutely nothing to do with the purchase of condominiums.

“If there was indeed (a purchase of a condominium) then definitely such claims would not be disbursed, because the disbursements require the approval from the technical committee chaired by the director of Veterinary Department and the Finance Ministry,” said Noh while officiating a parents and teachers’ association meeting in Tanjong Karang, Selangor last night.

‘Nothing to do with us’

Noh insisted that NFC was a private company “that has nothing to do with the government”, and whose shares were held by Agroscience Sdn Bhd.

NONE He said the company won the bid to carry out the National Feedlot Centre via an open tender and was thereafter given a government loan to execute the project.

The minister said PKR had stirred up the controversy over the condominium purchase without understanding the project.

“NFC is a private company, while the satellite farms are placed under the Veterinary Department and also under me.

“The cattle are reared in the farms, while NFC’s task is to market the products,” said Noh.

According to Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday, NFC had the right to “invest” the funds meant for the project in the controversial condominium as they were lying idle .

This, said Khairy, was the fault of the government delay in production delays owing to the government’s lack of funds to operate the satellite farms.

NONE On Thursday, PKR claimed that NFC's funds had been abused by its sister company National Livestock and Meats Corporation (NLMC) to purchase a RM9.8 million luxury apartment in an exclusive condominium project in Bangsar.

NFC is owned and managed by the family of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil ( above ), who has since cried foul over recent exposes involving the agency.

NLMC, contracted by NFC as its marketing development agent and granted a sizeable loan, is also owned and operated by Shahrizat’s husband and children.

The 'cattle for condo' scandal is NFC's latest since it came under intense scrutiny following the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 describing the organisation as being in “a mess”.