MIC secretary-general Datuk Seri S Vell Paari said today that funds channelled from the company to him were actually refunds for money he had pumped in to help the firm stay afloat.
In a statement today, the son of former MIC president and veteran politician Tun Samy Vellu, said that Maika Holdings was already “financially distressed” when he took over as the chief executive.
“As a matter of fact, at the time Maika was wound-up, the company was still indebted to me for a large sum of monies advanced to them and for my unpaid salaries,” Vell Paari said.
Sarawak Report (SR) had yesterday alleged that Maika Holdings passed millions of ringgit in cash and other forms of payments to companies linked to Vell Paari.
He claimed that he was also blackmailed prior to the publication of SR’s expose, with the extortionists demanding payment of RM3.5 million to “resolve the subject matter of the article”.
He alleged that one of the two extortionists had made the demand, but he did not reveal their identities, saying he would only do so to the authorities.
“I further wish to state that all the shares in Maika have been sold to G Team Resources & Holding Sdn Bhd and all the documents pertaining to the matters alleged in the article are in the possession of the liquidator of Maika, one Arasu A/L M Thangaveloo, whom I believe is personally involved in a dispute as to his conduct as a liquidator with the contributors of Maika.
“Some documents were also seized by the MACC or PDRM sometime between 2005 and 2008 pursuant to investigations carried out against several parties, which have since been dismissed,” he said, referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police.
“I don’t wish to make any further statements with what I regard as a scandalous and frivolous attack on me as I would be providing a platform to these irresponsible persons to attack me further,” Vell Paari added.
Earlier report: Feb 28, Report: Millions of Maika Funds Channelled to Vell-Paari-Linked Firms