Salleh (right) had been charged with four counts of misappropriating a total of RM49.7 million from NFC, but was later acquitted of the charges. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry will reopen the case on the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) as part of Pakatan Harapan’s election pledge to review controversial projects from the previous administration.

New Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub was quoted saying today that the investigation into the RM250 million project would be restarted.

“The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry will reopen the cattle-farming project case, under the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC),” read a statement attributed to the Pulai MP and published on Parti Amanah’s Negara’s (Amanah) official Facebook page.

In 2010, the Auditor General’s report highlighted NFC’s failure to achieve its target of breeding 8,000 heads of cattle in Gemas, Negri Sembilan.

A year later, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli exposed NFC’s alleged purchase of luxury condominium units, under its owner Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail.

He is the husband of Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Salleh had been charged with four counts of misappropriating a total of RM49.7 million from NFC the same year, but was later acquitted of the charges.

In November 2016, Rafizi lost a defamation suit and was ordered to pay Salleh and NFC RM200,000 in damages.