Talam debt twisted again
SHAH ALAM: A police report was lodged yesterday against Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) for defamation against the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) and its subsidiary, Selangor Industrial Corporation Sdn Bhd (SIC).
The non-governmental organisation is alleged to have distributed flyers to residents in PKNS flats at Taman Dagang Ampang calling on residents to join a signature campaign to get the state subsidiaries to write off their housing loans and arrears.
The flyers, which bore the name of JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah, stated that the organisation was of the view that the debts should be cancelled because Selangor had written off debts owed to state subsidiaries by Talam Corporation Bhd.
“The intention of the writer is malicious, the motive of the flyer is to trigger fear, worry and anxiety in people’s minds toward SIC while tarnishing the image of the company,” said SIC general manager Zulkefli Khalid.
JMM is also being accused of criminal defamation as the contents of the flyer incite home owners.
“The flyer contains false statements and misrepresents PKNS as having bailed out Talam (via SIC)…. when not even a sen was forked out,” said PKNS public relations manager Ishak Hashim.
He added that PKNS will not hesitate to take legal action against any party involved in this slander.
The assertion by JMM is the latest against Selangor’s debt recovery exercise which enabled the state to recover RM392 million worth of debts, accumulated under the previous Barisan Nasional administration, from Talam.
Selangor had hired a well-known accounting firm, KPMG Transaction and Restructuring Sdn Bhd, to review the debt recovery exercise last month.
The firm concluded in its audit report that the debt recovery exercise was a sound commercial decision and refuted unfounded allegations that Selangor had used RM1 billion to bail out Talam Corporation, now renamed Trinity Corporation.
When contacted yesterday JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah refused to comment on the police report against the organisation.
“I want to engage a lawyer before saying anything, I will call for a press conference on Monday to explain,” he said.
Also at the press conference outside the Shah Alam district police headquarters yesterday were PKNS lawyer Sankara Nair and PKNS legal officer Silawati Mat Jusoh.