In a recent development reported by Malaysia's national news agency Bernama, the country's highest court has reinstated the corruption conviction and six-year jail sentence of a former chairman of the state palm-oil plantation body.

The appeals court had previously overturned the guilty verdict against Mohamad Isa Abdul Samad in March 2024 on nine counts of bribery related to the illegal receipt of approximately three million ringgit (S$966,000) associated with the purchase of a hotel during his tenure as chair of the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).

Mohamad Isa served as the chair of Felda from 2011 to 2017 and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

A three-member bench of the Federal Court, in response to prosecutors' appeal, found the original sentence appropriate and in accordance with the law, leading to the reinstatement of the conviction. Justice Nordin Hassan emphasized the destructive nature of corruption on a nation.

Mohamad Isa's legal representative did not immediately comment on the ruling, but Bernama reported that the court ordered him to commence serving his sentence without delay.

For years, Felda has faced allegations of corruption and mismanagement, resulting in significant losses and debts over the past decade. In 2017, Mohamad Isa was replaced as chairman of Felda and its subsidiary FGV Holdings amidst reports of questionable transactions and dealings within both organizations.

FGV Holdings, one of the world's largest palm-oil plantation operators, was delisted by Felda last year as part of a restructuring plan announced by the state body.