KEDAH Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has given a 24-hour ultimatum to individuals and entities who have accused a state government-linked company of involvement in a RM100 mil rice supply scam.
Sanusi warned that failure to withdraw the social media postings implicating the state government-linked company (GLC) or state government leaders in the rice supply scandal within the stipulated time frame would result in legal action.
“They have made horrendous allegations without checking facts. We are giving them 24 hours to withdraw the postings that implicated the scandal involving locally produced rice with Kedah GLC or any leaders in Kedah.
“Failing which, we will instruct our lawyers to take legal action,” he said in a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting at Wisma Darul Aman.
Moreover, Sanusi claimed that these allegations were made without verifying the facts, causing significant damage to the reputation of the state GLC and Kedah’s leadership.
The controversy erupted following reports on Monday (Oct 9) indicating that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had uncovered a fraudulent scheme involving a rice supply company in Kedah. Allegedly, the company had secured a lucrative rice supply contract from a state-owned agriculture firm seven years ago, valued at over RM100 mil annually for distributing rice in Peninsular Malaysia.
Under this contract, the company reportedly obtained a bank loan of approximately RM30 mil several years ago to finance the project.
However, investigations revealed that the company’s director, in collusion with a board member of the state-owned company had falsely confirmed the purchase and delivery of about 28,000 tonnes of rice per year, equivalent to over RM100 mil in value.
Not to mention, these supplies were never made, raising questions about the authenticity of the entire transaction.
It was reported that the company had already received approximately RM30 mil through various transactions despite the absence of any deliveries. The revelation of this alleged scam has sent shockwaves through the community and raised concerns about the integrity of state-controlled contracts and oversight mechanisms. – Oct 11, 2023
Main photo credit: Utusan Malaysia
