NFCorp properties: Supermarket, condos, land, car!

I got the wrong mall, says Rafizi

UPDATED @ 03:27:36 PM 29-02-2012

By Yow Hong Chieh

February 29, 2012

A screen capture of the Rochester Mall website shows a listing for a “Farmhouse Supermarkets”.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29 — Farmhouse Supermarkets, allegedly linked to Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s family, will operate as the anchor tenant of Singapore’s Rochester Mall and not the nearby Star Vista, Rafizi Ramli said today.

The PKR strategic director apologised for the mix up after property developer and manager CapitaMalls Asia Ltd denied that Farmhouse Supermarkets would operate at The Star Vista mall in Buona Vista, Singapore.

“Farmhouse Supermarket has rented units #02-08 till #02-35 at the shopping mall attached to luxury condominiums at 35, Rochester Drive, Singapore,” he said in a statement.

Rafizi noted that a check on Rochester Mall’s website showed that Farmhouse Supermarkets was listed as a tenant, the largest on the second floor.

He added that because Rochester Mall was located right next to The Star Vista, his initial estimate that renting the lots there would cost RM2.2 million a month were accurate.

“Therefore, I believe that aside from a mistake in the mall’s address, the rest of what I revealed yesterday is correct,” he said.

Rafizi also apologised to CapitaMalls and National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) for the confusion, but stressed that this should not detract from the questions raised over the cattle-rearing company’s alleged operations in Singapore.

NFCorp hit national headlines after it made it into the Auditor-General’s Report last year, and has continued to hog the limelight after it was linked to Shahrizat’s family.

PKR has made several claims of abuse over NFCorp’s federal loan involving over RM62 million spent on land, property and expenses unrelated to cattle-raising.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced last month Putrajaya would appoint an auditor to scrutinise NFCorp’s books in light of accusations made against the company.

Opposition parties have called on the government to freeze NFCorp’s assets to stop the company from using more public funds while the probe was being carried out.

Commercial crimes investigators said last week they will recommend to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) that all NFCorp’s directors be charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT).