KUALA LUMPUR: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has lodged a police report and initiated legal action after it was reported that millions of ringgit in pilot training funds had gone missing.
Mara, in a statement, said that in 2018, it established a partnership with the Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG), to produce professional, highly skilled pilot trainees.
"Mara and MAG formed a partnership on April 15, 2018, focusing on education, human capital development, research, investment, and entrepreneurship, specifically to produce highly skilled and professional graduates as national pilot cadets.
"MAG, through the Malaysia Airlines Bhd Academy (MAB), is responsible for identifying potential candidates for the pilot cadet programme, based on the guidelines set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), to undergo training at the Aviation Academy, as agreed between MAG and Mara."
The statement added that Mara also provides support by offering loans to the participating students, who are guaranteed employment with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) upon completing their studies.
"This strategic partnership has successfully placed 39 Malaysian students to pursue their studies as pilot cadets, undergoing Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) training at the Czech Aviation Training Centre (CATC) in the Czech Republic.
It was reported that a Malaysian-based company was entrusted with carrying out financial transactions with CATC.
Several groups of cadet pilots, including the 39 Mara-sponsored students, enrolled in CATC through the Malaysian company, from 2019 to 2022. These included students who were self-funded, and those who had gotten commercial bank loans. Course fees ranged from RM400,000 to RM700,000 per person, paid to CATC through the Malaysian company.
A father of a former pilot trainee, who wished to be known only as Yusof, said his son was among the Mara-sponsored students sent to Prague in November 2020.
He said Mara allocated approximately RM441,000 for each trainee at the CATC in Prague.
The funds were given to the Malaysian company to cover their tuition and accommodation fees.
However, the company failed to resolve the matter with CATC, leading Mara to enrol the students into local flight schools instead.
For those already in Prague, Mara provided additional funds for its sponsored students, including Yusof's son.
However, self-funded students faced issues, and some had to pay CATC directly, while others returned home without completing their training due to the lack of funds.