FGV: Isa welcomes MACC probe, but refuses to resign

(The Star) – Saying he welcomes an ongoing corruption investigation, Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad (pic) has rejected calls for him to step down following his public falling out with FGV’s suspended president and chief executive officer Datuk Zakaria Arshad.

Isa said there was no reason for him to resign as he did not do anything wrong.

Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi had on Wednesday called for both Isa and Zakaria to resign from their positions as their “open warfare” was shameful to FGV and showed that there was no consensus between the two.

“That is his opinion. Nowadays, there are so many views, some people understand and some don’t,” said Isa.

“It’s best to know the full story, which is what I’ve been saying – don’t interpret it differently,” he told reporters after presenting Ramadan aid to the needy at Menara Felda on Thursday.

Isa also said he welcomed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation into improprieties involving the company.

“That is their job. Let them do their work according to their process. My process (at the company level) is to issue a showcause letter, allow Zakaria to reply, and then we make a decision,” he said.

More than a dozen MACC officers had earlier arrived at Menara Felda here to retrieve documents belonging to Zakaria in relation to an investigation on delayed payments owed to FGV subsidiary Delima Oil Products Sdn Bhd by Safitex, an Afghan company it had dealings with.

Isa also said it was a “good move” to appoint former minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala as an independent party to offer recommendations on the suspension of Zakaria and three other senior managers.

“We welcome his appointment with open arms and, of course, we will work with him,” added Isa.

Zakaria and three others were issued a letter by Isa on Tuesday asking them to take an indefinite leave of absence pending a probe into the dealings between Delima Oil and Safitex.

The other three suspended officers are FGV chief financial officer Ahmad Tifli Mohd Talha, FGV Trading chief executive officer Ahmad Salman Omar, and Delima Oil Products senior general manager Kamarzaman Abd Karim.