A DAP lawmaker in Penang has filed a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry for granting extension of time (EOT) to private developers to complete their projects.

Met outside the MACC building, the MP for Tanjong Ng Wei Aik claimed that "interested parties" were involved, although a report noted that the court has ruled that the minister has no power to give EOT.

"If the minister has no power to do so, any extension given is ultra vires the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 and and conflicts with this law.

"House buyers are therefore denied their right to demand for 10 percent compensation from their respective developers for late delivery of their units," Ng told reporters today.

He was responding to a July 27 parliamentary reply to Seremban MP Anthony Loke that between 2014 and 2017, the Housing Department had received 441 EOT applications.

Of these, 354 applications were approved, with some given conditional approval, while 87 were rejected, the reply said.

The Housing Department also reviewed 416 applications, of mostly unsold units, including some affected by natural disasters, where 338 were approved while 78 were rejected.

A total of 25 appeals were made, where three were approved without conditions, four were approved pending agreement by buyers and nine approved after informing the buyers, while another nine were rejected.

On April 3 this year, Housing Minister Noh Omar (photo) said 304 housing projects were given extensions, where about 50 were allowed to delay their projects between Feb 27 and June 30.

This was done despite a Feb 27 court decision that the minister had no power to issue EOT to the developers.

Ng recalled that the High Court in Kuala Lumpur had ruled in favour of 71 buyers of Sri Istana condominium, where its developer, BHL Construction Sdn Bhd, was given a 12-month extension by then urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

He noted that a police report had been lodged against a relative of attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali for allegedly lobbying the minister on behalf of the developer, BHL Construction, to obtain the EOT.

"We hope MACC will investigate this scandal involving ministers, the AG's relative and private developers," Ng said.

"MACC must immediately protect the rights of the buyers who were victimised by the developers who asked for the EOT."