SHAH ALAM: Permodalan Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan Sdn Bhd (PYBK), a subsidiary of Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan (YBK), on Feb 7 lodged a police report against Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for alleged abuse of power.

Mohamed Tamin Mohd Yusof, a director of PYBK, accompanied by YBK chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Sakom, lodged the report at the Shah Alam police headquarters.

Zainal told reporters that the report was lodged following a decision by the Hulu Selangor District Office to return quit rent paid by PYBK in August 2009, amounting to RM1.28 million via a cheque, on Feb 4.

The RM1.28 million quit rent was for 88.4ha of land owned by YBK in Serendah, the site where a proposed development for the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus was to take place, he said.

“One of the basic requirements when allocated a land for development is to pay the quit rent,” he said.

He added that the 88.4ha in question had no connection with the RM5.7 million owed by YBK and the RM5.43 million that Yayasan Melaka came forward to pay.

The Selangor state executive council had on Feb 3 directed the Hulu Selangor District Office to return to YBK the payment that was made.

“What is the reason for returning the quit rent paid? This shows an abuse of power,” he said.

Zainal said the government did not have the authority to return quit rent collected from the people because once the money is collected and banked into the government’s account, the money becomes the property of the people while the government becomes a trustee.

“This is certainly not right. Meaning, the government can return the quit rent paid by the owner and say quit rent on the land was not paid,” he said.

Furthermore, YBK also does not know why the money was kept by the government for so long before deciding to return it, he said. — Bernama