Employees of Asia Broadcasting Network's (ABN) news arm terminated from their posts recently, have not yet received their March salaries.

Tycoon KK Eswaran (below) , who reportedly has close ties with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's family, owns 70 percent of ABN through holding company ABN Media Group.

One of the 60 recently sacked workers told Malaysiakini that they may only be getting their March wages next week.

"Our March salaries hasn't been credited. They told us it will only be banked in on the 15," he said on condition of anonymity.

The staff members were given an early release last Friday, after the network shut down its news operations.

They were promised full pay for April, but the financial troubles faced by ABN is making them worried this might not come true.

"I don't know (if I'll get) my April salary. I have no savings, I rely completely on my wages" the source said.

The Edge Financial Daily reported today that ABN is in dire financial straits.

RM36 million in losses reported in 2013

Besides late pay, The Edge report said the company had not deposited EPF contributions for the staff since late last year.

The workers are worried their income tax deductions have also not been deposited.

The last financial statement filed by ABN in 2013 showed the company had accumulated losses of RM36.2 million, and that it has made no revenue since 2009.

The Edge also reported that ABN has a RM450 million Bank Pembangunan loan, and a RM15 million Maybank loan, neither of which have been serviced.

ABN's digital TV service, ABNxcess, had promised to deliver users more than 500 channels as well as 300 Mbps Internet access.

When contacted, Eswaran denied any role in ABN's day-to-day operations.

"I don't know anything about (the operations), I'm just a shareholder," he told Malaysiakini .

He also called The Edge 's report defamatory, and has threatened legal action.

" The Edge Financial Daily report is totally defamatory. We have passed it on to our legal team to contact our lawyers to take action.

"If this is a politically-motivated report, they are going to pay heavily for this," he said.

ABN journalists are not the only ones finding themselves in a bind.

Malaysiakini earlier reported that Bernama TV and RTM had difficulties paying salaries, forcing some personnel to delay weddings and take up part time jobs like selling coconut.