MEDA INC BHD INVOLVE IN CHEATING/FRAUD!!

Meda Inc Bhd took loan on shoplot unit that belongs to another owner

I have not blogged for quite sometime, and have not decided whether to keep this blog or take it down. Recently I received a lot of emails keeping me updated at what's happening at Meda Inc Bhd and their sister companies. Although my company this year has received partial payment of what Meda owed us, I think I shall do a public service for everyone, so I shall keep this blog up for the time being.

Another gentleman, Mr Norman Chia, is extremely angry at Meda Inc Bhd. He decided to write in and go public with his experience. Below I reproduce the full text of his mail:



A facsimile from

Norman Chia Ferng Ji (Mr Chia gave his mobile number for the public to call him for verification but I decide not to disclose it here)

To: Wilbert Goh/Jenny Lim Fax number: (03) 8024 8966 (fax number of Meda Inc Bhd)

Date: 20-Dec-07

Regarding: News for Your Business/Consumer Section: Proof that Meda Inc Bhd is Scandalizing its Property Buyers!


Comments: I WILL BE FAXING THIS STORY TO ALL THE NEWSPAPERS TODAY IF I DO NOT HEAR FROM MR. WILBERT GOH WITH A SOLUTION BY NOON. THE REPORTERS ARE WAITING FOR OUR STORY.


"Dear Editor,

Greetings. As mentioned over the telephone, I, of the above name, am a seasoned real estate investor. For all the real estate transactions that I have completed for the past 7 years, the one I am currently involved in, is so immoral and illegal, and involves a high profile corporation - Meda Inc Bhd, that I feel that the public should be made aware of it before doing any further business with this company and its affiliates. For the record, my solicitors and I have all the legal documents to substantial everything I am reporting here.

This is how the story goes. I decided to purchase a shopping centre lot in The Summit Shopping Centre on 20th December 2006 (attached copy of SPA). The seller was Hexaland Sdn Bhd. The agreed purchase price for the lot was RM220,000. After the agreement was signed, deposit being paid, my solicitors went ahead to complete the necessary legal paperwork to complete the transaction. So far so good.

However, in 29th May 2007, my solicitors conducted a land search on the master title on which the shop lot is erected and the search result reveals that there is a charge created by Meda Development Sdn Bhd (the developer of The Summit Shopping Centre) in favour of Arab Malaysia Merchant Bank Berhad (copy of charge attached) for a whopping amount of RM220, 000. In other words, the developer – Meda Development Sdn Bhd - charged that particular shopping lot to AmInvestment Bank and secured a loan of RM220,000 – without the seller knowing about it! This means the seller, in this case, Hexaland Sdn Bhd, is unable to sell this property to me because the developer owes money on his property. Our solicitor advised us that unless the developer settles this loan completely, this property cannot be transferred to my name, or anybody’s name for that matter. Our solicitor also informed us that the developer was able to secure this loan because Hexaland Sdn Bhd purchased this property with cash (no mortgage charged), hence fooling AmInvestment Bank into thinking that this property is unsold.

After six months of chasing, the developer till to date has refused to do the right thing and settle the loan they had no right to secure at the first place. Their manager, Mr. Wilbert Goh, gave one false promise after another that this issue will be solved. When threatened with legal action, their response is simply “go ahead”.

The seller and I will have no choice but to bring this matter to court. We have given Meda Development Sdn Bhd ample time (6 months) to do the right thing. It has been almost 12 months since we signed the SPA. Justice must be served. What other choice are we left with? However, I just want the public to be aware of the business practices of Meda Inc Bhd, especially its property arm. They are launching several residential projects for sale in Subang and I am genuinely worried for the thousands of home buyers/investors that have been dealing with them. I sincerely hope this sharing will open up the eyes of the public to this shocking and irresponsible corporate behaviour. I also applaud your newspaper for showing such interest in our story and doing a service for our community.

Please feel free to contact me at the above number. If you wish to contact the seller, Hexaland Sdn Bhd, to get their perspective on this transaction, the director is Mr. Her (012 221 6633).

Thank You. "



Wendy says: Mr Chia, my best wishes to you. The holiday season is here, hope MEDA INC BHD will settle this matter with you soon. But I'm not optimistic. The owners and management of Meda are scumbags without a single bone of integrity or honesty.

Please do keep us updated of the progress of your legal action. And if you wish for me to take down this post, please do let me know also.

MEDA INC BHD IS DOOMED!

How did ANDAMAN GROUP SDN BHD come about? Who's the REAL power behind all that's happening in Meda Inc Bhd? Is Meda Inc Bhd doomed?

On 10th Nov 2006, I mentioned about their grand plan to let Meda Inc Bhd sink under heavy debt, together with the lenders, suppliers and others to whom Meda owes money. And their sneaky scheme to put up their new company Andaman Group for listing on the Bursa.


"A Friend" gives us a closer look at the hanky-panky in Meda Inc Bhd...

"Dear Wendy....you were wrong on one count. The Cova project does not come under the Meda Group, so the sales do not goes to Meda. Most probably you do not know the history of the Andaman Group. Let me set the record straight for you.

Basically Meda went public because they need funds to expand. Meda have been listed on the main board for more than five years and with the funds from the listing you would expect the company to have expanded and have more projects. If you look deeper the company have no new projects at all. The current projects are the very SAME projects that they have when they got listed.

So one would think that the management of Meda and the Directors are sitting on their fat butts doing nothing as there were no new projects. ON THE CONTRARY. TEOH SENG AUN HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY USING THE RESOURCES OF MEDA TO IDENTIFY NEW PROJECTS. The marketing and project department of Meda have been scouring around for viable projects and they have identified two such projects namely One Subang and the Cova, Kota Damansara. But instead of injecting these projects into Meda he took it private.

He formed the ANDAMAN GROUP using his brothers in law as a front. The brothers in law are Alex Wong, William Wong and Joshua Wong. In fact he is grooming Alex Wong to head the group. He went further to ensure the Cova project is a success by entering into an agreement with SEGi to rent the apartments from them so that the company can provide guaranteed returns to the purchasers. The question here is why Teoh Seng Aun(TSA) did not inject the projects into Meda. IT IS VERY SIMPLE. HE WANTS TO ENRICH HIMSELF FURTHER AND HIS FAMILY TOO.It was also rumored that TSA siphoned RM8 million from Meda to form the Group and till today have not repaid the money back to Meda.In fact the Cova project was obtained through the contacts of Ong Bok Siong who is very close to the people in PKNS or PNSB. So why is Ong Bok Siong allowing TSA to take the project private instead of injecting into Meda? Has Ong Bok Siong no loyalty to Meda which is paying his fat salary and giving him a luxurious car and a driver? Is he not responsible to the minority shareholders who expect him to perform his duties?

Now we have to ask the other question on what will the authorities do to the Board of Directors of Meda who sit back and allowed TSA to abuse his power as the majority shareholder to misuse the resources of Meda to enrich himself instead of resolving the financial problems of the company?. Are the Directors not guilty of dereliction of duty? What about TSA? As the major shareholder, does he have the authority to determine the direction of the company? What business have he to manage the company? Are all the Directors just figureheads?

The authorities would want to have evidence to investigate Meda. The evidence are actually there for everyone to see, the abuse of power and the arrogance of Teoh Seng Aun, who thinks he can get away with it and that the authorities are IMPOTENT. Actually the MOTHER of all arrogance of TSA is to have the Andaman Group located on the 18th Floor of Menara Summit, which was the Directors' floor of the Meda and KEB group where at one time ALL the Directors were located. WHY? Because TSA sits on that floor and he wants his pivate company to be located there so HE CAN OVERSEE ITS OPERATIONS. Next are the transfer of KEY PERSONNEL FROM MEDA. Robert You the COO was formerly with Salcon under Kumpulan Emas, so he cannot be counted. What about the Director of Project Charanjeet Singh who was formerly the Senior General Manager - Project of Meda. Then there is the Senior Manager - Marketing Lau Hon Chong who holds the same position with Meda. The Sales and Administration Manager, Iris Chai, was formerly the Assistant Sales and Administration Manager of Meda. Isn't the transfer of these key personnels a sure sign of abuse of the public listed company?

The final question to be asked is WHAT ARE TEOH SENG AUN'S PLANS FOR MEDA? NOTHING!!!!!. Meda is too heavily in debt to a tune of more than RM200 million to be able to save. He will allow Meda to die a slow and painful death. Meanwhile he has formed the Andaman Group and he has grand plans for the group. He is talking about a billon dollar JV in China and more exciting projects. Then he WILL LIST the Group again. DEJA' VU?"

Wendy says:
"It will be the same story all over again. Just like Kumpulan Emas (EcoFirst) before, Meda Inc Bhd now and Andaman Group in the future."

Here's the news report about the RM1billion JV in China. There's no way a newly-formed Sdn Bhd can suddenly find all that money to take on an expensive RM1Billion project unless the funds are improperly obtained.

The Directors should be taken to court for dereliction of their duties, professional negligence and possibly even conspiracy to defraud minority shareholders...

MEDA INC BHD OWED TENAGA RM 1 MILLION

This is not the latest news, but I still have to tell you about this.

Sometime last year, Meda Inc Bhd - Summit Shopping Complex Subang USJ - owed Tenaga about RM1million in overdue electricity bills. One fine day, the Tenaga technicians went to Meda Inc Bhd head office to demand payment or else they would immediately disconnect power supply. The Meda accounts office had to panic and rush to look for the money before they could get the cheque out for Kenneth Teoh to sign before handing it over to the Tenaga people. The bills were overdue for quite some time - just like all those bills owing to suppliers and contractors.

If the power was cut, the whole Menara Summit and shopping complex would just stop functioning. Then the shopping centre owners and tenants will sue Meda Inc Bhd again for causing loss of business.

I notice the owners love to give very grand names to their buildings. I also heard they wanted to call their property "SUMMIT CITY" but the authorities did not approve. Defiitely it will be grand and impressive, such a name. The Teoh brothers would be going around feeling so proud about their status as owners of such a prestigious "CITY".

I wonder how they can go home each day feeling so proud about the debts their companies owe to banks, suppliers and contractors.

Maybe they should test their entrepreneurial skills again by joining the Nescafe KICK-START TV Show (TV3, Saturdays, 7pm). They will be lucky that they don't have to face Donald Trump ("The Apprentice") who enjoys telling people "you're fired!"



"EN. TEOH, YOU'RE FIRED!"

MEDA COMPANY OWE CIMB BANK RM55MILLION

ZKP under receivership. What about other outstanding debts?

As of now, we know that ZKP going under receivership is the result of action taken by CIMB Bank Bhd to recall its loans to the Meda group.

Meda Inc Bhd had in 1999 & 2000 borrowed heavily from CIMB Bank. The loan was not secured against any assets but based on the credit standing of the company. (Unbelievable! I wonder who approved the loan to this group?).

However, it is well-known in business circles that many credit lines had been withdrawn by various banks in the last few years. Now Meda Inc Bhd has been unable to even pay the interest on the loan taken from CIMB Bank. I think it could be due to one or all of the following factors:

1. CIMB has lost its patience with Meda Inc Bhd because of frequent missed payments.

2. The reputation of the group has also been in the tong sampah for so long. CIMB can no longer trust Meda Inc Bhd to honour its repayment obligations.

3. Meda Inc Bhd is already struggling under a very huge pile of debts due to its suppliers and creditors who are sueing them relentlessly. Looking at Meda under so much debts, CIMB decided to take action first before others lock up Meda's assets through winding up action.

4. Its Cova projects in Kota Damansara are not selling as well as they claim. There are not enough money coming in to pay for the debt repayments to CIMB. (Remember "A Friend" who wrote to tell us that Meda property sales were mostly scams?)

5. Its other projects are also not doing as well as they claim. For example, the Semantan Avenue Suites project which was completed last year is doing badly.

ZKP Development Sdn Bhd, being wholly owned by Meda Inc Bhd, owns and runs the Summit Shopping & Hotel complex in Bukit Mertajam. According to Meda Inc Bhd accounting, the Bukit Mertajam property is worth RM107million.

But whether they can actually get someone to pay RM107million for that property is big question. The complex has been badly maintained and car thefts and robberies there are frequent. This lowers the value of the property. If nobody wants to buy the property, it is worth...RM zero.

The amount outstanding owing by Meda Inc Bhd to CIMB Bank is RM55million. So ZKP is placed under receivership so that its asset, the Summit Shopping & Hotel Complex Bukit Mertajam, can be sold and the money from the sale be used to pay the amount owing to the bank.

Meda Inc Bhd's financial problems are well-known. But the owners have no financial problems. They still live in luxury houses, go for expensive holidays and drive the biggest and latest BMW cars. In fact, they own numerous companies, many houses and many cars. Perhaps, it is more accurate to say that their PLCs are in financial trouble but they personally are rich beyond imagination. Have the owners been manipulating a complex scheme that enrich their overflowing personal bank accounts, while their companies which are publicly subscribed, become financially strapped? Are the owners deliberately enriching themselves by not paying their suppliers, contractors and lenders? Just think about how much money has been going through their companies over the years - Meda Inc Bhd, SEGi, EcoFirst Consolidated (formerly Kumpulan Emas). Easily, several RM BILLION!!

It is embarrassing to be put under receivership, especially if you are supposed to be a big businessman who owns several PLCs, and especially if you a Datuk. It is a loss of face for Chinese businessmen. Maybe the Teoh brothers are either really in very deep financial trouble, or they have very thick skin. Probably both.

They should know that CIMB Bank would take this next step. They should also know that their property will not get a good price if it's sold in a receivership. They could have mortgaged it for a loan to pay off CIMB to avoid this bad and embarrassing publicity. Probably no other bank wanted to get involved with Meda Inc Bhd. Afterall, their bad payment reputation is already well known in the market.

And probably because no one wants to pay RM107million for it. Also, the book value is probably "cooked" to a higher value to make it easier for the group to get credit facilities from other unsuspecting finance companies.

Meda Inc Bhd most likely will not get close to the "book value" for the property. In a receivership sale, buyers will only be interested if the price is really really cheap. So, Meda Inc Bhd's property is now in the market, like pasar malam sale.

It will be interesting to see how much CIMB Bank can get for the ZKP asset. I think the bank should just offer to sell it for RM60million. This is more than enough to cover the loan. If Meda Inc Bhd disagrees, then the Teoh brothers should jolly well go out there and try selling it for more themselves, which I seriously doubt.

And what's going to happen to the money owed to suppliers and contractors? Maybe it is time to group together and sue Meda Inc Bhd for payment before the company runs out of cash and assets.


Action against Teoh brothers

Legal action should also be brought against the major shareholders personally -Dato Patrick Teoh,Teoh Seng Aun and Kenneth Teoh - who as group chairman, managing & executive directors drawing huge salaries and bonuses, should be personally held accountable for their business decisions and the way the PLC is run. Where they have caused the group to go under a mountain of debt and become insolvent through negligence or incompetence or especially fraudulent practices, they should be made to personally pay for the losses of the company. Shareholders who buy Meda Inc Bhd shares should not be made to suffer for the troubles of the company caused by these corporate crooks.

Suppliers are already so tired and fed up with all the rubbish from Meda Inc Bhd, they don't really care one way or another as long as the Teoh brothers get their just desserts. Punish them severely, yeah!

SYABAS!

LATEST: MEDA COMPANY UNDER RECEIVERSHIP!

Summit shopping & hotel complex, Bukit Mertajam

ZKP Development Sdn Bhd is bankrupt.

This news just came in from another reader through the email.

ZKP Development Sdn Bhd is under receivership. It is bankrupt, unable to pay its mountain of debts to its suppliers, contractors and other creditors.

Meda Inc Bhd owns ZKP, and ZKP owns the Summit shopping and hotel complex in Bukit Mertajam.

Auditors have been busy in the offices there. Staff have been leaving in numbers. Management staff of the Bukit Mertajam hotel are also trying to get out as fast as possible.

That's bad news for the suppliers and contractors. They have a huge amount of bills waiting to be paid. Will the owners sell the property and use the proceeds of the sale to pay off its creditors? Frankly, I doubt it. People in the business circle familiar with Meda Inc Bhd say the Teoh brothers are "dirty" people well known for their twist and turn and underhand methods.

Maybe Meda Inc Bhd already made sure that all the cash and assets of ZKP are moved out of the subsidiary first, and after that, deliberately let ZKP become insolvent so that ZKP don't have to pay the creditors? The suppliers and creditors will be the ones who suffer while the Teoh brothers' bank accounts fill up with another ten or twenty million ringgit. Who knows? This is the legal way to rob their suppliers' money.

Long ago around 1998, when the complex was just completed, Meda Bina Sdn Bhd (MBSB) and Meda Property Services Sdn Bhd (MPSB) - both Meda Inc Bhd's fully-owned subsidiaries- were dragged into a lawsuit by their contractor Tap Construction Sdn Bhd. Typical of the Meda Inc Bhd Teoh brothers, they didn't want to pay the contractor, which resulted in a long court case that eventually ended with the Meda Inc Bhd companies ordered to pay Tap Construction RM 36 million to settle. But not surprise, Meda Inc Bhd companies claimed not to have the cash to pay, so Tapcon agreed to have the Bukit Mertajam property transferred to ZKP, and the amount owed to Tapcon probably converted to shares or paid in instalments (I cannot confirm this part but I think that's how they did the deal.) Eventually, ZKP became 100% fully owned by Meda Inc Bhd.

Last year, ZKP sued its anchor tenant The Store, but lost. ZKP was ordered to pay legal costs for The Store. ZKP then fought AMAsurance Bhd for RM 6 million in another dispute, but its case was thrown out of court.

Instead of embarrassing themselves in court time and time again, Meda Inc Bhd owners - Kenneth Teoh, Teoh Seng Aun, Dato Patrick Teoh - should have just saved their lawyers' fees and pay their suppliers instead. This would have created much goodwill for them, rather than be cursed by so many people.

Another court case involving a Meda company and directors

This month, another subsidiary Meda Development Sdn Bhd and some directors will face legal action in court from Companion Park Sdn Bhd for owing money amounting to RM3.5 million.

I am sure Meda Inc Bhd's lawyers really love this customer because it gave the lawyers so much business. As you can see, all those lawsuits did not end in favour of ZKP/Meda Inc Bhd. I'm sure it's not the lawyer's idea to fight or sue when Meda Inc Bhd has no grounds, although it makes the lawyer richer. These are just dirty tactics by the Teoh brothers to force its suppliers and contractors to agree to accept less than the outstanding sum. But they can't bully everybody.

If you have any more information, please send to me. Wendy truly appreciate all your support.

Multiple charges for Meda Inc Bhd directors!

My last post on 22nd Feb was an email from "A Friend" giving us a closer look at Meda Inc Bhd operations. We are told that the real power behind the whole thing is actually Teoh Seng Aun, who does not want to hold any directorships but have substantial shares in all the sister and brother companies. "A Friend" tells us that TeohSA (Teoh Seng Aun) is the one pulling the strings, the main man behind the whole setup.

"A Friend" also tells us that Meda Inc Bhd's so-called "profits" and sales turnover are in fact almost non-existent, because the Teoh brothers (owners) are the ones who buy up their own properties through shell companies, pay only 5% of purchase price, but register the sales as 100% on their books. This creates the illusion that Meda Inc Bhd is selling their properties well, when in fact, it is not true.

This kind of bullshit gives the wrong impression to investors who buy up their shares in the market, making their share price go higher than its true value. Kenneth Teoh and his brothers, all of whom hold large portions of shares, can then use the false market price to mortgage their shares for higher financing and credit lines.

We all know that many credit lines have been pulled back, because Meda Inc Bhd could not meet their regular payment requirements to the finance companies and banks. "A Friend" says this is why Meda Inc Bhd have no cash to pay suppliers. Only the directors/owners ae making themselves rich at the expense of suppliers and public shareholders.)

What are the implications for Kenneth Teoh, Teoh Seng Aun, others directors, and employees who are involved with these kind of undesirable activities, as mentioned by "A Friend"?

Let's look at all those people involved and what their crimes might be:

Directors

Directors such as Kenneth Teoh, Ong Bok Siong, Dr Patrick Teoh, and other members of the board will be guilty of:

1. Failure of carrying out their directors' duties;
2. Failure to act for the interest of the Company;
3. Fraudulent & false reporting;
4. Lying to the public about the real and true facts of the Company's business;
5. Defrauding the public shareholders;
6. Criminal breach of trust;
7. Criminal neglect of duties;
8. (Possibly) mis-use of company funds for private purposes;
9. (Possibly) illegal siphoning out of company funds.

Auditors

Auditors are supposed to be professionals who uphold their integrity. They are supposed to do the right thing because the public place their trust in these people to report correctly and the truth. In the Meda Inc Bhd case, the auditors could be faced with:

1. Professional negligence (if they have not bothered to probe deeply);
2. Liability to compensate public losses for their failure to do their job professionally and competently;
3. Collusion with Meda Inc Bhd directors to defraud the public (if they knew what was going on);
4. Criminal breach of trust;
5. Incompetence (if they didn't know what's going on);
6. Accomplices in a crime.

There will also be other people indirectly involved, such as Acounts Managers and Financial Controllers. A lot of the illegal activities in a PLC like Meda Inc Bhd cannot be done without the knowledge of accounts clerks, managers and FCs (Financial Controllers). In some ways, our friends at this level are indirectly also helping their bosses and directors carry out illegal activities that defraud and mislead the public. Their own co-workers will also get a bad deal because all those talk about bonuses and "profit sharing" will be nothing more than empty promises. Employees in Meda Inc Bhd (and Summit Hotel USJ) will know what I am talking about: the management always promise this and that IF the performance is better, but those promises never come true.

Not only are the public shareholders and authorities being conned, the employees also are being conned by their management.

Exposed! Meda Inc Bhd lie about their sales!!!

A kind gentleman writes in to contribute interesting information about Meda Inc Bhd. He has given permission to publish the email for you readers:

"Dear Wendy,
You have most of the stuff about Meda correct except you do not know the REAL POWERMAN behind the whole operation. Kenneth Teoh is basically a front man. He only follow the instructions and appears to be the bad guy. The true DECISION MAKER is TEOH SENG AUN. He is the majority shareholder of the group and he does not hold any Directorship. His position in the company is Chief Operating Officer but he WIELDS the real power behind the company. In fact the group was started by him and two other partners.He pulled in his two brothers when the company was doing well. Because of his brothers Teoh Seng Aun had a fallout with his two partners and they split sometime in 1997.

ALL PAYMENTS TO SUPPLIERS AND CONTRACTORS MUST HAVE THE APPROVAL OF TEOH SENG AUN.Kenneth Teoh merely sign the checks together with Ong Bok Siong. EVERY MANAGEMENT DECISION ON THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR THE GROUP MUST HAVE TEOH SENG AUN'S ENDORSEMENT OTHERWISE IT WILL BE NO GO.

Just to let you in on a secret as to WHY MEDA INC SHOWS PROFIT EVERY YEAR? Simple!!!!! They just create false sales for their projects. They use two Ringgit shell companies to purchase the properties they develop and pay ONLY 5% of the purchase price and then sign the Sales and Purchase agreements and register the sales as 100% sales. The full purchase price will be shown as income but in actual fact only 5% is paid. As such Meda Inc does not really have the cash to pay the suppliers and contractors.

You do not need to know who I am but the above is just the first instalment of more about Meda. You can print the FULL details I have given and I hope it will help you on your quest to expose how PLCs exploit the loopholes to cheat the public." - from A Friend.

Wendy says "thank you very much" for your contribution, Tuan. Your expose has definitely added a new perspective on the whole Meda Inc Bhd operation. We look forward to hearing more from you. Thanks very much for your suport.

Reporters Are Waiting...
I know some reporters are following this blog. They are waiting for more info to come up before they publish in their newspapers. Meantime, readers can continue to submit to me photocopy documents and other stuff which I can send to SC and CCID of PDM for further investigation and action, it will be appreciated. Don't let these PLCs cheat us anymore! Malaysia boleh!

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina!

I want to wish all of you wonderful readers Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

I collected a bit of hong baos, so hope my chinese readers also have a prosperous time.

For Kenneth Teoh and his brothers who still come in to check up on what's new here, good luck to you, too. But you know very well, whatever you have done will catch up with you soon. You will need a lot of luck to get through, because you really have no hope left. Anyway, chinese businessmen with integrity will try to settle all their debts before the Lunar New Year. For Kenneth Teoh and his Meda Inc Bhd, they have snowballed so much debts over the years since they started, that they will forever hutang their suppliers. Not good for them lah.


We Left Kenneth Teoh alone during Chinese New Year

Some of the suppliers wanted to pay a "courtesy visit" to Kenneth Teoh's home at Jln Kiara 2 during Chinese New Year. They wanted to inform the police first, and then together in a group, go to the front gate with banners and loudhailer to demand payment from Kenneth Teoh. Chinese believe that during the New Year celebration, they should keep calm and not get angry so that they will enjoy good fortune throughout the year. So, after discussion they decided not to carry out the plan. Instead, they get together and enjoyed a nice lunch together and wish each other good luck. Of course, they also did NOT have good thoughts for Kenneth Teoh and the Meda Inc group.

SEMANTAN AVENUE SUITES: No money, no opening!

Another reader sent in this about their Semantan Avenue Suites at Damansara Heights:

"Hi Wendy,Hope your father is feeling better.

I sympathise with you regarding the payment problems with Meda. As you said, they really live up to their bad reputation. I'm also a supplier and they also owe us a substantial amount. Therefore I support your blog.

I have just been told that their Semantan service apartment project, although completed, is unable to open for business due to their payment problems as well. It seems that they are not able to secure supplies such as furniture and fittings etc for the apartments. The gist of what I hear is that their staff are now in place, incurring monthly wage costs, but they cannot open their doors as their rooms are not supplied.

This project is under another Meda company called Nandex. Nandex is a "shell" company with no assets; if anyone were to sue this company, the creditor get kosong. Many of the contractors involved are signed with Nandex."

Thanks for sending that in, and for your well wishes.

During the construction phase, Meda Inc Bhd owners had to find urgent money to pay their building contractor's progressive payments and there were some work stoppages.

What you mention does not surprise me. It is their Meda Inc Bhd style. Always hutang money everywhere, failing to pay for their goods. Yet they are buying up land and "developing" new projects. Our government should seriously implement a thorough audit of all these companies and implement new laws that protect consumers from becoming victims of such unscrupulous businessmen. Especially important is to audit the auditors' works. That will get all auditors to do their jobs properly and not be afraid of exposing illegal activities by these PLC owners.

Architect certified Meda Complex was complete, but it was NOT!

"Anonymous" sent in this contribution in my comments box:

"I used to work for Meda Complex, infact I was one of the pioneer staff that open the shopping complex....(some comments removed to maintain confidentiality of the person)...Seriously, the stories that I am reading now are not new and even during those times circa-1997, they were facing a crisis. Rumours were heard that they even had to take an off-shore loan to stay afloat and the architect was forced to certify that the construction for the Complex was completed (when it was only 90%) to avoid late delivery to purchasers. "

Notice the word forced.

I think this is the Meda Inc Bhd way of doing things. I think that if the authorities want to carry out an inspection of their buildings, Meda Inc Bhd will arrange for some "bonus" for the inspectors and everything will be taken care of. That's what they also do with licences and approvals for their shopping complex and hotel operations.

So, you should be careful if you are thinking of buying any of Meda Inc Bhd's condominium or shopping units, such as the Cova Villa, or One Subang, or even Semantan Suites. You won't know whether they have fulfilled all building and construction laws, unless you are an expert yourself.

If you look closely at their Semantan Avenue Suites, the 2 blocks sit on a very tiny plot of land. At the back is a very steep hillside. I wonder whether the walls behind is strong enough to withstand 2 weeks of continuous rain. Already, large parts of Johor is under water and KL has seen some aweful landslides.

We must not forget the Highland Towers disaster. Developers with a shakey track record and bad reputation should be avoided at all costs, no matter how cheap their apartments or shops are. All it takes is a combination of factors happening all at the same time, and your home will crumble and the lives of your loved ones lost forever. By then, the developer would have enjoyed all the profits and it's too late for you to go after them.

Why did the architect give in to pressure from Meda Inc Bhd to certify the Complex building when it was not ready yet? Was it because the owners offered the architect more money to certify it? Was it because the owners promised payment on time? Did the architect fail to fulfil their professional duty?


Below are our court's findings regarding the guilty parties in the Highland Towers collapse:

Liability:

The following were the findings on liability by the Court:

The First Defendant was liable in negligence for not engaging a qualified architect,
constructing insufficient and inadequate terraces, retaining walls and drains on the hillslope which could reasonably have been foreseen to have caused the collapse diverting the East Stream from its natural course and failing to ensure the pipe culvert diversion was adequate, and in nuisance for not maintaining drains and retaining walls.

The Second Defendant (Architect) was liable in negligence for not having ensured adequate drainage and retaining walls were built on the hillslope adjacent to the Highland Towers site, which he foresaw or ought to have foreseen would pose a danger to the buildings he was in charge of, in not complying with the requirements of the authorities in respect of drainage, in colluding with the First Defendant and Third Defendant (the Engineer) to obtain a Certificate of Fitness without fulfilling the conditions imposed by the Fourth Defendant (the Local Authority), in so doing not complying with his duties as Architect, and in not investigating the terracing of the hillslopes and construction of retaining walls even though he was aware they would affect the buildings he was in charge of, and also in nuisance as he was an unreasonable user of land.

The Third Defendant (Engineer) was liable in negligence for not having taken into account the hill or slope behind the Towers, not having designed and constructed a foundation to accommodate the lateral loads of a landslide or alternatively to have ensured that the adjacent hillslope was stable, for not having implemented that approved drainage scheme, for colluding with the First and Second Defendants to obtain a Certificate of Fitness without fulfilling theconditions imposed by the Fourth Defendant and also in nuisance as he was an unreasonable user of land.

The Fourth Defendant (Local Authority) although negligent in respect of its duties associated with building. i.e. in respect of approval of building plans, to ensure implementation of the approved drainage system during construction, and in the issue of the Certificate of Fitness, was nonetheless conferred immunity by reason of s95(2) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act.

The Fourth Defendant was however not immune in respect of its negligence in carrying out its post building functions of maintaining the East Stream. This also attracted liability in nuisance.

The Fifth Defendant (Arab-Malaysian Finance Bhd) was liable in negligence in failing to maintain the drains on its land, and in taking measures to restore stability on its land after the collapse.

The Seventh Defendant (Metrolux Properties) and its Project Manager, the Eighth Defendant, who were liable in negligence and nuisance for preventing water from flowing downhill (into their site) and instead directing water into the East Stream, when they knew or ought to have known that this would increase the volume of water and inject silt, especially where there was extensive clearing on their land, into the East Stream where it would be deposited, which would in turn (as proved) cause or contribute to the failure of the drainage system and collapse of Block 1.

If you're interested you can read more about it here http://www.trett.co.uk/digest/doit.asp?iss=27&art=4


Why developers put people's lives at risk?

Simple. To make more profits for themselves, to cut costs. Just look at the quality of Meda Inc Bhd's properties and you'll know that they have been cutting costs at all four corners.

(Cova Villa, Subang One are developed under Pharma Exel Sdn Bhd, which is part of Andaman Group Sdn Bhd, which is owned by the Meda Inc Bhd people. They don't want to pay their suppliers, but use suppliers' money for other projects. As mentioned in my previous posts, I think they are using Meda funds to finance their Andaman Group projects, with the intention to go for public listing on the Bursa. They know their Meda name is not well-received by share investors. I believe it is illegal to use public-subscription funds for projects that are not under the public-listed company.)

Thank you, "anonymous" for your info.

Does anyone else know anything more about this matter?

Keep The Information Coming In...Thanks!

I've been getting a lot of information from various people, especially those who have worked for Meda Inc Bhd and Summit Hotel Subang USJ.

I am most grateful for all your contributions. Please keep them coming in.

To ensure that you do not get into trouble with those burgers, please also state whether you would like me to publish your comments/emails in full or I should just use your info without mentioning your personal details (such as how you were wrongly accused and badly mistreated while working for them).

Those who wish to email me, it's wendywongsy@hotmail.com

I will maintain confidentiality of your personal details unless you mention otherwise.

Thanks for all your support! Terima kaseh!

Ex-Staff: Same Story About Meda Inc Bhd

Hutang Some More!

Just called their accounts department. No payment. This is really bad! It's now more than a year. I need my commission to pay my dad's medical bill. Kenneth Teoh could go on expensive holidays, but cannot afford to pay suppliers.


****

Another Meda Ex-Staff Talks: Nothing good to say about Meda Inc Bhd

Had dinner with SL at Asia Rice Pot, behind Wisma FAM, Petaling Jaya. (You should try it too. The food is quite good, and price is value for money). I've not seen her for quite a while so we had a lot of catching up to do.

SL is an intelligent and capable lady. She used to be part of the team at Meda Inc Bhd when the Summit Shopping Complex was undergoing a cleanup and "revamp" (around mid 2005 and early 2006).

It was no surprise that most of our conversation centred on Meda Inc Bhd and its operation. It was one of her worst work experiences ever.

SL told me a lot things which generally is what I have written in this blog so far. She also told me a few things which I will reveal later when the time is right - I don't want Kenneth Teoh and his people to destroy the evidence if he knows what I am talking about. SL said I should just pass the information to the authorities.

I mean, what do you think if the company, if their auditor staff simply quit from their jobs when they have only just joined the company? Is it because the staff had to work under instructions which went against their professional training? Was it because the staff found out some things which they would rather not handle and be blamed and charged later? Some people would rather quit than do something which is against their professional principle. I really respect such people.

SL also told me about the huge problems she faced there. She was told to make a lot of improvements to the Summit Shopping Compex, but very few suppliers were interested in providing quotations. They all have one common reason: Meda Inc Bhd has a VERY BAD reputation with payment.

Only a few of her friends were willing to take the risk to support her work. One of them managed to secure a Purchase Order. It was also the best price. The order has been delivered. Her immediate boss was happy with the work. But till today, her friend has not been paid.

SL said she was making good progress at her work there. She was already cautioned by others about the Meda Inc Bhd when she joined them. She thought she could take it as a challenge and see how far she can go. SL is quite a positive thinker.

But dealing with all the difficulties which were already there before she joined made it very tough for her. The shop-owners/tenants were not on good terms with Meda Inc Bhd management. The shopping complex was in horrible shape for a very long time. She also had to handle demands from those suppliers who had previously delivered their products but were not paid. Then she had to turn to other suppliers which Meda Inc Bhd did not owe money to. But these suppliers were too smart and know too much about her company. They were not interested in doing business with Meda Inc Bhd. To make matters worse, the owners TeohSA and Kenneth Teoh were quarreling over the management of the shopping complex. Poor leadership and lack of management expertise at the highest levels of Meda management made her days at the office very gloomy. She lost her motivation. She then quit, less than one year on the job.

SL knows about my problem. Meda Inc Bhd still hutang my company a lot of money. She says she will link me up with her supplier friend. Maybe we can join our efforts to take action against Meda Inc Bhd. Some other suppliers whom I have met have also suggested that we do something. I will let my boss know next week when he returns from Thailand.

Some of them also suggested we should together pay a visit to Kenneth Teoh's wife at their Mon't Kiara Damai house on this coming Tahun Baru Cina. What do you think?

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

It has been a very busy period since December so I hardly have time to add more to this blog.

My dad is also not feeling too good, he has been in and out of Gleneagles Intan a few times last month. I'm struggling to pay the bills.

But I will continue blogging because I have more to add here.

Meantime, I wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2007!