Kuala lumpur: FELCRA Berhad has pledged full cooperation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should any investigation arise concerning its acquisition of oil palm plantations in Kelantan and Sabah. Its chairman, Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, emphasized that as of now, MACC has not reached out for any explanation on the matter.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Jazlan expressed confidence in the integrity of MACC, assuring that any investigation would follow established standard operating procedures. He remarked that if no issues warrant further investigation, the matter might be resolved at the management level. However, if concerns arise, the relevant parties will be summoned by MACC for further clarification.

Ahmad Jazlan elaborated that the acquisition decisions were made by FELCRA's board of directors as part of Transformation 1.0, approved in 2022 to ensure long-term sustainability. He noted that the last acquisition of plantation assets occurred around 2013, before the transformation program's implementation.

He highlighted that FELCRA's financial constraints limit significant land expansion, given its current recovery path. All acquisitions have been financed through the company's internal resources or capital expenditure from profits in its commercial sector, without involving loans from banks or the government.

The acquisitions were based on valuations by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), with most purchases falling below the assessed price. On December 5, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, addressed inquiries regarding MACC's potential investigation based on the Auditor-General's report on FELCRA's alleged mismanagement.

The Auditor-General's Report 2/2025, presented in the Dewan Rakyat last July, highlighted various governance weaknesses and leakages across ministries, departments, agencies, and government-linked companies, with audited projects valued at RM48.87 billion.