Published: Monday February 13, 2012 MYT 4:32:00 PM

Court rejects PTPTN’s bid to strike out suit

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court on Monday dismissed the National Higher Education Corporation Fund's (PTPTN) application to strike out a suit by a borrower.

Judge Unaizah Mohd ruled that the plaintiff had cause of action against the defendant (PTPTN) for the suit to be tried.

The judge set four days from April 9 to hear the case. She also set March 5 for case management for the parties to finalise their documents before the trial.

The plaintiff is scheduled to call two witnesses while the defendant three.

On Sept 20 last year, bank officer Mandeep Singh filed the suit at the Sessions Court's Civil registry against PTPTN for defamation and wrongful arrest after he was blacklisted for allegedly failing to settle his study loan.

Mandeep, 27, is seeking RM19,000 in special damages for flight ticket and hotel booking, interests, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court. Mandeep said under his study loan agreement dated Nov 9, 2006, PTPTN had agreed to lend him RM48,000.

He claimed that he was detained by Immigration officers at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang on July 6 last year when he was about to leave for a holiday in Guangzhao, China.

He said he was informed by the officers that his name had been blacklisted in the Immigration database.

However, he said PTPTN had failed to remove his name from the database although he had notified PTPTN to do so.

Following that, he claimed he was humiliated in public and the episode had tarnished his reputation.

Counsel Abdul Malik Hakim was representing Mandeep while counsel Farhan Abdullah acted for PTPTN. - Bernama

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