FT religious council settles debt, legal costs

 

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

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) has settled a RM222,093.72 debt to a supplier involved in a mosque project in Kuala Lumpur.

Lawyer Omar Kutty Abdul Aziz, who is appearing for construction materials supplier Latitude Resources Sdn Bhd, said MAIWP has also settled legal costs of RM8,000.

He told FMT the payments were made in three instalments, with the last tranche transferred on Monday.

“My client is very grateful to MAIWP for resolving the matter amicably,” he told FMT.

On March 19, FMT reported that Latitude Resources threatened legal proceedings against MAIWP chairman Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer if the council refused to pay them RM222,093.72 and legal costs of RM8,000.

In the FMT report, Omar said a letter of demand served on Syed Kamarulzaman on March 13 had been due to expire on March 20.

The company wanted MAIWP to pay up on the garnishee order, failing which it would face legal proceedings.

In response, Syed Kamarulzaman said the arrears stemmed from “technical issues” as the council received the letter of demand late.

He told Sinar Harian that MAIWP was unable to settle the payment as Omar informed them that the company had not registered with eVendor, a system under the accountant-general’s department.

“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 was quoted as saying.

The garnishee proceedings were filed against MAIWP in November 2021 after Prasarana Selatan Sdn Bhd, which was appointed to build the RM8.8 million mosque 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.

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