(In the final part, Bernama delves into MARA's silence on the episode and details from a former director and an employee. As the investigation continues, questions about accountability and justice in Malaysia's educational funding and aviation sectors remain unanswered)
In this final part of the pilot training debacle, Bernama reached out to MARA's Education Sponsorship Division (BPP) via a detailed email, seeking clarification on the issues surrounding the company that coordinates aviation training for future pilots, and inquiring whether the organisation had taken any legal action against Skyvax Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Throughout Bernama's investigations and its efforts to reach out to MARA to shed some light on the matter, the organisation did not respond, adding further intrigue to the situation.
However, just as the first and second parts of this article were published this week, MARA's Corporate Communications Division issued a vague statement without any mention of Skyvax Holdings Sdn Bhd.
The statement detailed the collaboration between MARA and Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), since April 15, 2018, aimed at producing highly skilled cadet pilots for the airlines under the group including Malaysia Airlines(MAS).
It highlighted that MAG identified potential cadet pilots based on Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) guidelines, while MARA provided loan facilities and employment with MAS upon graduation.
It said through this collaboration, 39 Malaysian students pursued a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) at the Czech Aviation Training Centre (CATC) in Prague. Of these, 38 secured employment with MAS upon graduation, and one continuing studies domestically, expected to finish by 2025.
The crucial part of MARA's statement was in the last paragraph stating it had taken strict actions, including filing police reports and pursuing legal action against those involved in this matter.
However, it still leaves many critical questions unanswered and hence Bernama reached out to MARA's Corporate Communications Division Director, Abd Fareas Noew Hanzah, before this article was published for further clarification especially when there is no mention of the company's name.
He confirmed that the police reports and legal actions are directed at Skyvax Holdings, the company referred to in parts 1 and 2 of the story in Bernama's coverage.
When asked about the timing of the police report and the specifics of the legal actions taken by MARA against Skyvax, Abd Fareas declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality and advising this writer to stick to the issued statement by MARA.
Abdul Fareas said that the incident involving Skyvax occurred between 2021 and 2022 when the turmoil began and that the legal action is already underway and is nearing its conclusion.
All said and done, the lack of transparency about MARA's actions against Skyvax Holdings and the financial arrangements involved raises concerns.
The reasons for MARA's financial support to Skyvax instead of taking legal action earlier, and the specifics of the legal actions and police reports remain unclear.
These unresolved issues highlight the need for further investigation to ensure accountability and protect the interests of students and the public.
THE STORY FROM SKYVAX SIDE
To uncover the company's perspective, Bernama got in touch with one of the directors of Skyvax Holdings, through a phone conversation and text messages, he was asked about his involvement as the company's founder and director to which he replied that he was the director of the company "but only on paper."
He was questioned about the many trainee pilots who had not completed their training due to the company not paying their piloting fees to the flight school in Prague, to which he replied that the episode occured due to the effects of COVID-19 which resulted in the company unable to revive itself and was forced to shut down.
Additionally, he was asked if he was aware of the allegations against him, the legal action taken by some parents on behalf of the students, and the multiple police reports made about the company and its shareholders.
"I am fully aware of the issues at hand, and what I can say here is that this case has been investigated by the police since early 2022, with more than 10 police reports lodged.
"In fact, all documentation of the company and its accounts and other company records have been reviewed and analysed by the police from the Commercial Crime Investigation Branch (CCIB) in Shah Alam," he said
He claimed there was no misappropriation of money, for what had happened can be categorised as a breach of contract and the complainants are advised to take civil action in court against the company.
"I just want to emphasise once again that there was no malpractice, just an unfortunate event due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.
After part 1 and 2 of the article appeared the director called saying he wanted to meet this writer to give a clearer picture on what actually had transpired.
"To be fair to the company, I think you should have a session with me for a different perspective on the episode. And what actually happened," he said to this writer who agreed to meet him to find out more.
Bernama also interviewed a former employee of the company, Mohamad Shazwan, 29, who agreed to share how the company faltered.
Shazwan worked at Skyvax Holdings for over two years, initially as an operations and sales coordinator executive, and later as the company's client manager, handling students enrolled under the company to be sent to the Czech Republic in Prague.
He primarily interacted with parents and self-funded clients, adhering to the company policy that required payments to be made in stages.
He recalled advising certain parents who preferred to pay a lump sum to wait until all arrangements were finalised.
"Some parents wanted to pay a lump sum to the company, likely because they trusted the company and wanted to settle everything quickly,"
"However, I always advised them to make payments in stages -starting with RM1,000 until the company secured their children's visas, and then making subsequent payments. This approach minimised their risk in case anything went wrong with the company," he explained to Bernama.
OWNER INSTRUCTED PARENTS TO PAY THE LUMP SUM
One day, Shazwan received a call from a parent of a student who had initially been his client. The parents revealed that they had paid a lump sum amount of money to the company.
"I asked them why they had paid that amount, explaining that it posed a great risk, especially since the company had not yet settled the visa," Shazwan recounted.
The parent informed Shazwan that the owner of the company had instructed them to pay the lump sum to initiate the process of sending the student to Prague and told the parent to deal directly with him.
Shazwan was perplexed that the owner/director of Skyvax would override his advice, and subsequently, Shazwan advised five of his other clients not to pay any substantial amounts to the company until the due process for the students had been fully settled.
"I managed to save five clients from paying more money to the company. The company owners were mad at me for that, but I couldn't just stand by - it was against my principles," he said.
He emphasised that the company was handling people's money, and it wasn't just 200 or 300 ringgit, but hundreds of thousands of ringgit per customer. The program itself costs nearly half a million ringgit.
Shazwan explained that the company's owners and shareholders included siblings, with the older brother being the brains behind the company. The others served as directors and shareholders.
When asked about the events leading up to the company's closure, Shazwan explained that the situation deteriorated when the company began failing to pay for students' tuition and accommodation fees.
At this point, MARA intervened and covered the remaining costs for their sponsored students.
"During the turmoil at the company, MARA convened a meeting with the company's owners and shareholders.
"The meeting turned contentious, with the company's directors blaming each other for the problems," Shazwan recounted, adding that top representatives from MAG were also present at the meeting
He explained that the Malaysian students at CATC in Prague, sponsored by MARA, were primarily from the MAG Cadetship program.
This program sent its cadet pilots for aviation training at CATC, with the company acting as the intermediary responsible for overseeing the payments and fees for Malaysian students.
"Most of the Malaysian trainee pilots in Prague, approximately 40, were from the Malaysia Airlines Cadetship program, with MARA acting as the paymaster for these students. The remaining 20 or so were self-funded," he explained.
ALL THE WAY DOWNHILL FOR THE COMPANY
Shazwan revealed that after the company began to wind down, the owner of the company started another business in the food and beverage sector during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consequently, after a short period, the restaurant was also forced to close down.
He also expressed confusion over why MARA had not taken legal action against the company.
Some victims of Skyvax have asserted that the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) should also be held accountable, as she was complicit in the company's issues during her tenure before it became defunct.
Shazwan clarified that the former CEO was not complicit in the company's issues.
He recalled that in early 2022, she stated to the police, explaining to the Commercial Crime Investigation Branch (CCIB) in Shah Alam, that her signing authority within Skyvax was limited and that she had no control over the decisions made by the directors/owners.
Shazwan explained that the former CEO had given detailed documents of the company's signing authority to the CCIB, illustrating the limits of her authority and the extent of the owners' or founders' control. Based on this information, the police cleared her of any wrongdoing.
He added that during the height of the problems in 2021, Malaysian students in Prague were even forced out of their accommodations because the company had failed to pay the rent.
Seeing the students in distress, the company's CEO at the time used her own money, around RM800,000, to cover their hostel rent, a sum the company has not reimbursed to this day.
The debacle has left a trail of financial and emotional devastation for many aspiring pilots and their families in Malaysia.
The alleged loss of millions to the company has caused significant hardships for families, with many trainees unable to complete their training and parents left to bear the financial burden.
Despite multiple attempts to seek justice, including police reports and legal actions, there has been little resolution.
This points to the lack of effectiveness of our justice system and enforcement in this country.
The plight of these trainees underscores the need for stringent oversight and accountability in the management of educational funds to prevent such a debacle in the future.
The affected families continue to seek answers and justice, hoping that their perseverance will eventually lead to accountability and redress. – BERNAMA