Sentul Indah house buyers want developer prosecuted

03/11/2003 The Sun
 

Petaling Jaya: The Sentul Indah house buyers are furious at the Housing and Local Government Ministry for not doing more to protect their rights.

The ministry renewed developer Homeng Realty Sdn Bhd's licence after it abandoned the project and left 102 house buyers in the lurch. Subsequently, 42 new house buyers voice their concerned over the lack of progress at the construction site.

In a statement to theSun on Thursday, the Sentul Indah House Buyers' pro tem committee called for the ministry to take over the project and prosecute the developer accordingly.

Committee president Liew Kean Fatt said a search with the Registrar of Companies shoed that Homeng had submitted accounts only up to Dec, 1999 and the accumulated losses are above RM1 million compared with a paid up capital of RM500,00.

"In a meeting on Oct 14, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui revealed that the project's Housing Development Account (HDA) had a balance of RM144 only," he said.

It was learnt that the developer had withdrawn about 90% of the HDA on Oct 30 last year before piling work was due to start at the construction site.

"We want the ministry to probe possible wrongdoings involving HDA fund," Liew said.

Liew urged the ministry to blacklist the developer, suspend its licence, and to prosecute it for breaching the terms of the sale and purchase agreements.

The project, comprising 374 apartment units and 19 shop-lots, was launched in 1997 and sold to 102 house buyers. It was due to be completed in Dec. 1999, but was classified as abandoned in 2000.

In a meeting on Nov 21 last year, the ministry renewed the developer's licence despite an earlier promise not to do so and instructed the developer to refund the purchasers by January this year, which it has yet to do.

The project was re-launched and property was sold to about 42 new house buyers. At present, there is no work at the site of the project, which is scheduled for completion in December 2005.