About 20 contractors working for Asia Broadcasting Network (ABN) claim they have not been paid for eight months, with the company owing some of them up to RM300,000.

"They owe me over RM70,000. Some (contractors) are being owed up to RM300,000 [...] The last payment I received was in December (2014) for work done in July (2014).

"I haven't been able to pay for my house, my car, because we have to pay (my eight workers) [...] I still owe them (my employees) some money," an ABN contractor told Malaysiakini on condition of anonymity.

He said the contractors, who install ABN's fiber internet and cable television services in homes and apartment blocks, have since stopped work.

They will hold a press conference on the matter today, and are considering legal action against the company.

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

"(ABN) can't expect me to sell my house to work for them," he said.

He also claimed ABN management had told him the company was unable to pay the contractors due to problems with the bank.

Staff salary 'delayed again'

Meanwhile, a former ABN staffer who was terminated earlier this month when the company shut down its news division, claimed ABN had yet to pay wages for March.

"They originally told us we would get paid on the 15th (of April), but now they say salaries will be paid on the 22nd (of April)," he told Malaysiakini , on condition of anonymity.

Some 60 employees were let go on April 3 when ABN ended its news operations. They were promised full pay for March and April.

The Edge Financial Daily reported on April 7 that ABN is in dire financial straits and had accumulated RM36.2 million in losses.

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

Business tycoon KK Eswaran ( left ), who owns 70 percent of the company, has denied The Edge reports and has threatened to sue the business portal.