Saturday August 11, 2012

Shahrizat: I only learnt of family’s involvement in cattle breeding project in 2007

By M. MAGESWARI
mages@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has contended that she was only aware of her family's involvement in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) project in 2007.

Shahrizat, 59, said she was certain after her husband, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, who is NFC executive chairman, told her of his intention to bring their two children back from abroad to work on the project.

“My husband asked our two children to come back to help him to manage the project. Only then I knew,” she said on the second day of the trial in her RM100mil defamation suit against PKR strategic director Mohd Rafizi Ramli and PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin.

Asked by Mohd Rafizi's lead counsel Ranjit Singh, she admitted she only knew for certain when her husband had obtained the NFC project.

“He has his work. I have my work. He is busy doing project papers,” she said.

Pressed further by Ranjit that she knew in 2007 about the involvement of her husband and their three children Wan Shahinur Izran, Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah and Wan Shahinur Izmir in the NFC project, she said: “I don't keep a diary on what my husband says to me.”

She also testified before High Court Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera that she did not know that her 22-year-old son, Wan Shahinur Izran, had become a director of a company in the project.

“It is a family working culture. We have independent lives,” she said.

Denying that Wan Shahinur Izran was involved in NFC when it was awarded in 2006, Shahrizat also said she did not know that he held one million shares in Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd.

Shahrizat said her youngest son graduated in computer science in 2003 from United States when he was only 19, adding that “he was top student”.

“He decided to come back and was interested to venture into being a young entrepreneur,” she said, stressing that she did not know of the details although they were living in the same house.

She said she only knew that her son was involved in cattle breeding when her husband told her, claiming that she only found out the NFC details from her husband when she decided to take legal action against the defendants.

She also said the statements made by Mohd Rafizi against her were more “heinous” than her remarks against him.

The hearing continues on Sept 18.

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Saturday August 11, 2012

Shahrizat: I only learnt of family’s involvement in cattle breeding project in 2007

By M. MAGESWARI mages@thestar.com.my

By M. MAGESWARI
mages@thestar.com.my