‘PKR failed to pay rent for 30 months’

K Kabilan

Party leaders are accused of lying in saying that they had been prompt in paying RM20,000 per month to the landlord.

PETALING JAYA: New details have emerged that PKR may not have paid rental for its party headquarters in Merchant Square here for almost 30 months, owing arrears of about RM600,000 to the landlord.

The party had entered into a five-year lease with the landlord beginning July 2008 for RM20,000 per month. FMT learnt that the party paid rental only until November 2008.

“Since then, not a single payment has been made,” said a party insider today.

“And the party’s top leaders are lying in saying that they had been prompt in paying rents,” he said.

PKR leaders revealed last week that the party faced possible eviction from their party headquarters because the landlord failed to service the bank loan.

As a result, Affin Bank has initiated an auction to be held on June 9 to recover its money.

Playing the blame-game

Laying the blame squarely on the landlord, party leaders like treasurer William Leong, vice-president Tian Chua and secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said that the party had never failed to pay the rental to the landlord.

“It is the landlord, the banks are going after them. A lot of people have the wrong notion that we are the owners. We are just the tenant and not responsible for the loan. We have never failed to pay the monthly rental,” Leong had said.

Tian, meanwhile, said he did not know why the landlord failed to service the bank loan but speculated that the landlord could be facing financial difficulties.

Saifuddin denied that the party was in a financial quandary, adding that the party has been prompt in paying rent.

“We are not in any financial problem. It is the owner who has a problem with the bank as we have been paying rent without fail,” he told FMT.

Leong said that the party was now planning to buy the premises when the bank auctions it next month, failing which it would seek to rent it from the new owners. But if that does not work out, then PKR will find itself another office.

Lies, half-truths

The party insider said these leaders were “talking rubbish”.

“They didn’t even pay the rentals… perhaps they did not have the money to do that… and now they are talking about buying the premises at the auction,” he said.

He also chided them for making statements without proper checking, especially when they even got the name of their supposed landlord wrong.

When the PKR leaders spoke to the media on the auction, they mentioned that the landlord was a company named Ainb-Tech Sdn Bhd. However, FMT learnt that the lease agreement had named another company as the landlord.

“They don’t seem to have a clue on the lease details of the premises they are occupying. I don’t think they know who owns the building and even how much money they have to pay for rental.

“They are jumping now after seeing the auction notice as they have been caught with their pants down… and have resorted to lies and half truths,” added the insider.

Stop blaming others, sort out your house
 
The party leaders also came under fire for blaming everyone else for their (PKR’s) problems.

Several party leaders, including former deputy chief Syed Husin Ali, were quick to point the finger at Barisan Nasional for the bank auction.

“This is typical of them. They like to spin conspiracy theories and will blame BN for all their troubles,” said former PKR leader S Nallakarupan.

“They all take the lead from their leader Anwar Ibrahim. He never admits to anything and likes to accuse others, especially the BN. Now his party leaders are doing the same.

“He lied about the Sept 16 takeover. He then lied about having evidence of BN trying to buy over PKR reps.

And now this PKR HQ fiasco. Are they telling the truth or are they trying to gain sympathy?” asked the president of pro-BN Malaysian Indian United Party.

“I won’t be surpised if they are lying blatantly on the rental issue as well to play victims as usual,” he added.

Nallakarupan, who left PKR in 2007 following a major fallout with Anwar, said PKR should get its house in order first before talking about taking over Putrajaya.

FMT. Meanwhile, learnt that negotiations are ongoing between the owner and Affin Bank to sort out the matter amicably.

PKR in danger of being evicted from HQ?

 

Regina Lee

 

PKR may soon find itself homeless after the landlord that owns the property where the party's headquarters is located failed to service the bank loan, resulting in the building being put up for auction.
PKR is currently renting their five-storey premises from a company with a monthly rental of between “RM10,000 and RM20,000".

However, the landlord has not been servicing the loan and the bank wants to auction off the shoplot property in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya.

Confirming this with Malaysiakini, PKR treasurer-general William Leong said that the bank auction will be on June 9.

“We are only renting. The landlord didn't pay. It is not our loan so we don't owe any banks. We're only the tenant.

“I don't know why they didn't pay. Maybe (the landlord) had problems with their other businesses and couldn't service their loan,” said Leong, who is also the Selayang MP.

In 2008, the party relocated from a tiny office in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur to the present premises in upmarket Merchant Square Tropicana.

Leong said that the party is considering several options, including relocating.

“We can also maybe continue renting from the new owner, or we can buy the property ourselves,” he said.

Is Soh Chee Wen the landlord?

When asked why the party did not buy the shoplots unit in the first place, he said that it was to conserve the party funds for its 'operations'.
“We have not come to a decision yet. It still depends on discussions with the party leadership,” he continued.
When pressed on the identity of their landlord, Leong who has been the party treasurer since 2008, was tight-lipped, pleading ignorance.

“I can't remember lah, I'll have to check and get back to you,” he said.

But when asked if the building was owned by businessman Soh Chee Wen, Leong denied it.

Soh was a PKR ally-turned-foe, who was said to have helped the party financially for a period between 2007 and 2009.

However, it is understood that Soh fell out with the party leadership shortly after that.

Telephone calls to Soh for comments went unanswered.

Leong also said that while PKR has been diligently paying rent every month, he was also unsure of its exact rental amount.

“The rental average is RM2,000 per floor. So we pay about RM10,000 to RM20,000 a month,” he said.

The bank auction notice has already been put up near the Merchant Square premises.

When Malaysiakini called the phone number included in the notice, a woman on the other line confirmed that 10 units are being auctioned off. The unit addresses are currently occupied by PKR.

The initital bidding sum is roughly RM460,000 to RM1 million per unit, depending on what floor it is located.

We're not 'in danger' of eviction

In an immediate reaction, PKR vice-president Tian Chua dismissed suggestions that the party was 'in danger' of being evicted since there is still a binding lease contract.

He said that the party had signed a six-year contract back in 2008, which means that they still have three more years before their lease expires.

"If a new owner were to take over, they still need to follow procedures as stated in the contract including giving an early notice and compensation if they were to evict us.

"The bank also offered us priority to be the first bidder because we are the tenants. So it really is not the issue," he said.