Former FELDA Chairman Claims Aide Implicated Him in Bribery Charges After Haunted by Ghost at MACC Lockup

By Karissa Lund  •  18 Aug 2020 in News

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According to Malay Mail, former Felda chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad told the KL High Court yesterday, his former special political officer was harassed by a “ghost” while in MACC lockup. This has led his former aide, Muhammad Zahid Md Arip to implicate Isa in his corruption trial, in order to set himself free from the lockup as he couldn’t take the harassment by the ghost.

As Isa is facing trial for 9 counts of corruption and is accused of receiving over RM3 million in bribes over the sale of a hotel, he told the court that Zahid was forced to act in the manner because of the ghost.

“I met him (Muhammad Zahid) when his uncle died in 2018, I greeted him and commented that he looked thin. He said while he was under remand, there were all sorts of things (that happened)… He was detained at the old MACC building and said that one of the cells was haunted. Due to fear and being under duress, he had to implicate me to set himself free,” Isa said during the examination-in-chief by his counsel Datuk Salehuddin Saidin.

Mohd Isa, who is also the former Mentri Besar of Negri Sembilan, also said that he had asked Muhammad Zahid to correct the statements which linked him to the charges, however, it never materialised.

“I asked him (Muhammad Zahid) to correct it (the statement), he said he would do it but nothing happened until I met him at the MACC office, and I said again ‘Zahid, correct it before it goes to court because this is a matter concerning my dignity’. He said, ‘Wait, I will do it’, but nothing happened until I was brought to court,” Isa said.

ICYMI, Mohd Isa was charged with nine counts of corruption, namely receiving bribes for himself amounting to RM3,090,000 from Ikhwan Zaidel, 59, through Muhammad Zahid, as a token of gratitude to help approve the purchase of a hotel by Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (FICSB) for RM160 million.

Each charge filed under Section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.