EPF nearly conned of RM15m over defunct company

By LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) almost paid RM15mil for a wound-up company worth less than RM700,000.

Fortunately, certain individuals tipped off EPF officials, prompting them to halt the deal and conduct an in-depth due diligence and investigation into the matter.

However, the EPF had already paid a refundable 10% or RM1.5mil deposit.

It is learnt that a man had approached the EPF investment division and offered to sell an 80% stake in the company, which had entered into a lucrative joint venture with an American company.

The American company is the largest distributor of liquid products to several fast food outlets worldwide.

The man managed to convince EPF officials of guaranteed profits for 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Unsuspecting EPF officials, impressed with the figures and guaranteed returns for the next few years, then signed a term sheet for the proposed investment and paid the RM1.5mil.

Sources said the company had been ordered to be wound up by the courts by then but the man, who had also been forced to resign as the managing director, still went ahead with his proposal to the EPF.

They said the man was also not only no longer the corporate representative of the company but also only owned 30% equity in the company.

A local bank had valued the total shares of the company at about RM700,000 while EPF had been duped to pay almost 28 times more than the valued amount.

Several directors of the company, who were alerted about the sale of their company, wrote to the EPF and tipped them off about the scam