KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government has dismissed rumours that the Sultan Ismail Petra International Islamic College (KIAS), a subsidiary of Yayasan Kelantan Darul Naim (YAKIN), will be auctioned off as it could not afford to pay its contractors.
State Human Development, Education, Higher Education, Science and Technology committee chairman Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan described the rumours as fake news.
"I cannot comment more as the case is still in court but what I can say is that the rumours are untrue.
"How can KIAS be auctioned off when the case is still at the appeal stage and negotiations between both parties are still ongoing," he said.
Social media was rife with rumours that the college was at risk of being auctioned off after failing to settle its debts with contractors. However, the claims did not contain any details such as the number of contractors owed or the size of the debts.
KIAS was established by the Kelantan government to position the state as a hub for the development of Islamic knowledge in the region.
The college is located near Nilam Puri along Jalan Kuala Krai and offers various courses to students.