MAIWP denies refusing to pay debt to contractor

 

MAIWP chairman Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer said the debt will be paid as soon as the supplier has registered with eVendor. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) has denied that it has refused to pay a debt to a contractor engaged to build a mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Its chairman, Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer, said the arrears stemmed from “technical issues” as the council received the letter of demand from the contractor late.

On Tuesday, FMT reported that construction materials supplier Latitude Resources Sdn Bhd threatened legal proceedings against Syed Kamarulzaman if the council refused to pay them RM222,093.72 and legal cost of RM8,000.

“The real cause of this problem is due to technical issues, not our unwillingness to pay,” Syed Kamarulzaman told Sinar Harian.

“MAIWP is ready to make immediate payment, but we were informed by the supplier’s lawyer that they have not registered with eVendor, a system under the accountant-general’s department.

“The payment will be made as soon as they register, which is expected to be on March 28.

“MAIWP does not intend to prolong the issue because as a religious organisation, we are aware that we must pay our debts and fulfil our responsibilities.”

Syed Kamarulzaman also felt it was necessary to provide an explanation as he said MAIWP’s reputation has been “slightly tarnished due to this inaccurate report”.

In the FMT report, Latitude Resources’ lawyer, Omar Kutty Abdul Aziz, said a letter of demand served on Syed Kamarulzaman on March 13 had been due to expire on March 20.

“We have given the council until March 20 to pay up on the garnishee order or else we will proceed to file legal proceedings,” he said.

A copy of the letter of demand, sighted by FMT, was also sent to the finance ministry and religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar.

The garnishee proceedings were filed against MAIWP in November 2021, after Prasarana Selatan Sdn Bhd, appointed to build the mosque costing RM8.8 million in Sungai Besi, refused to pay up on a judgment obtained by the supplier three years earlier.

The garnished sum was claimed against a project performance bond worth RM440,000 held by MAIWP pending completion of the project.

The order was issued by the Johor Bahru High Court on appeal, after the sessions court dismissed the initial application in June 2022.

In December last year, MAIWP failed to obtain leave from the Court of Appeal to appeal against the High Court ruling. - FMT