KUALA LUMPUR – Former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has distanced himself from the proposed sale of a London hotel owned by the agency, saying no such application was submitted during his tenure.
He expressed concern that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may have received inaccurate information regarding Felda’s property assets in the United Kingdom.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Ahmad Shabery said no request had been made to sell Felda’s London hotel while he was leading the agency, a position he held until the end of June.
“There was not a single application to sell Felda’s hotel in London when I was at Felda. I do not know if that happened after I left Felda at the end of June.
“Furthermore, Felda has four property assets there, namely two hotels and two student residences,” he was quoted as saying on Sunday.
He added that, to his knowledge, none of the four properties had been purchased individually at a price of £160 million.
Ahmad Shabery said this raised concerns that the information presented to the Prime Minister might not reflect the actual position of Felda’s entire London property portfolio.
“I am worried that the PM has been given wrong advice or that someone is trying to take advantage,” he said.
He further explained that decisions involving the disposal of Felda assets were made based on government directives, including those from the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Department Advisory Committee.
“Selling assets is an instruction from above, the Ministry of Finance and the Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister’s Department. This is a standard government procedure,” he said.
Ahmad Shabery stressed that the details surrounding Felda’s four London properties must be clearly explained to avoid confusion between the value of an individual asset and the overall worth of the agency’s property holdings.
He was appointed Felda chairman on 1 July 2023 and ended his tenure on 30 June 2026.
On Friday, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said he had refused to sign approval documents for the proposed sale of a Felda-owned hotel after discovering that the asset was being offered at £100 million, despite having been purchased for £160 million.
The Prime Minister said the proposed sale could have resulted in a loss of £60 million (RM330 million).
He ordered Felda management to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter, saying the decision needed to be reviewed thoroughly.
Anwar said it was unacceptable for Felda to suffer such a significant loss while many settlers continued to face challenges, including inadequate facilities and low incomes.
“Felda is under my watch and a couple of months ago, the management came to me seeking approval to sell this hotel.
“What kind of business is this? Selling an asset for less than what it was bought for.
“I refused to sign and instructed them to investigate who made the decision and submit a full report.
“Felda settlers are struggling. When I visit them, they ask for basic necessities such as air conditioning, repairs to schools and better incomes.
“Yet Felda itself is prepared to lose hundreds of millions of ringgit through such a sale,” he said during his speech at the Semarak Kenegaraan programme with the armed forces at Terendak Camp.
Anwar said protecting Felda’s integrity was crucial to ensuring the institution remained financially sustainable for future generations.
“If we fail to act, the institutions that we are proud of and committed to protecting will eventually deteriorate,” he added.
“If we don’t (do something), no matter how long, our agencies – including Malay agencies that we take pride in and want to defend – this is what will become of them. We must correct that,” he said. – August 9, 2026