PUTRAJAYA: Two collection agents of the MyEG Group did not remit RM314mil in government revenue earned between May 19 and Sept 30, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Dispelling previous reports that the amount was accumulated over a three-year period, he said the ministry and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) had, since May, taken steps to recover the outstanding revenue.
This included holding four engagement sessions with all stakeholders such as the Finance Ministry and issuing 35 reminders and setting a deadline for the settlement of the arrears.
The two collection agents – My EG Sdn Bhd and Zetrix AI Bhd – had been tasked with revenue collection from road tax renewals, driving licence renewals and traffic summonses, among others.
Last week, the JPJ announced that their services were suspended as of yesterday.
Loke, at a press conference, said that these agents were required to transfer their collections within one business day.
He refuted claims about the government’s inaction in getting back the revenue, saying that that minor delays in the past were always resolved after reminder notices were sent out.
The current RM314mil debt snowballed rapidly over the last five months, he said.
He said a cheque for RM231mil to settle the arrears was sent out on Aug 21, post-dated to Sept 30.
“However, when the cheque was presented for processing on Sept 30, the bank did not process it, acting on instructions from the company itself.
“Consequently, the ministry and JPJ were compelled to take the drastic measure of suspending payment services via MyEG and Zetrix AI channels.”
Loke also dismissed speculation regarding MyEG’s alleged corporate ties to political parties like Umno, saying that this was entirely irrelevant to regulatory enforcement.
He said that decisions made were strictly based on financial compliance.
He stated that clearing the RM314mil debt is a non-negotiable precondition, and any future platform model would require a total structural overhaul.
“Even if they settle, additional conditions will be imposed. The payment has to be directly credited into the government account.”
He also said that the government’s ability to abruptly halt MyEG’s services without paralysing public infrastructure was due to strategic anti-monopoly measures implemented since 2022.
“Because we opened up the market, today there are 85 driving institutes where people can take their tests directly. We are no longer dependent on just one company.”
Looking ahead, Loke announced that the MyJPJ mobile application would be enhanced with new features next month, as part of a broader push to eliminate third-party intermediaries.
While 20% of motorists still rely on external agents, Loke said that the remittance crisis is isolated entirely to MyEG, which is the nation’s largest agent by transaction volume.
Other collection agents, including Pos Malaysia, have no outstanding arrears and will continue operations normally.
