PTPTN acted in bad faith, says bank officer

KUALA LUMPUR: A bank officer has claimed that the National Higher Education Corporation Fund (PTPTN) acted in bad faith by blacklisting him for allegedly failing to settle his outstanding study loan arrears.

This led to his arrest when trying to go on a holiday to China last year.

In his amended reply in a defamation suit against PTPTN, Mandeep Singh, 27, claimed that the fund had been careless in blacklisting him, considering that he had kept up with the arrears for his student loan.

Mandeep’s reply also said PTPTN had damaged his reputation, making him look like a criminal by not removing his name from the Immigration Department’s blacklist.

In his suit filed on Sept 20, 2011, Mandeep said he was detained by Immigration officers at LCCT in Sepang on July 6 as he was about to leave for a holiday in Guangzhao.

He had been put on the PTPTN blacklist in December 2010 when he fell behind on his arrears.

Mandeep claimed that he had asked PTPTN to remove his name from the Immigration database after settling his outstanding student loan arrears on March 8, 2011, but the fund had failed to do so.

The bank officer is seeking RM19,000 in special damages for the flight ticket and hotel booking as well as interests, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court. He is represented by Abdul Malik Hakim,

On March 5, counsel for PTPTN, Khoo Kay Ping and Junnie Neoh SzeYin, filed an amended defence stating that the withdrawal of man deep’s name was subjected to conditions listed in the PTPTN website.

The counsel added that the website stated, amongst other things, that a borrower needed to produce testimonial, payment slip and salary deduction form, or a standing instruction form in order for the borrower to have his name taken off the Immigration blacklist.

Sessions Court judge Unaizah Mohd ordered the case to go for a full trial on April 9-12. On Feb 13, the same court dismissed PTPTN’S application to strike out the suit.