KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- The government is reviewing a formal agreement with Dapat Vista Sdn Bhd, the company that operates the e-Jamin system for online payment of court bail, before submitting it to the Cabinet soon.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said relevant departments were fine-tuning the matter to ensure the agreement includes clear terms on services, accountability and transparency.
"We need to expedite the agreement so that the terms can be made known to the public, and there is accountability, and all parties can be aware of the matter,” he said when winding up the debate on the Auditor-General's Report (LKAN) 2/2026 for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Previously, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reported that the e-Jamin system had been operating for five years since 2020 without a formal contract with the Federal Government.
The PAC said that of the RM193.71 million in bail deposits held in the account as of Dec 31, 2024, Dapat Vista was found to have invested RM130.8 million under the company's name, generating annual interest of between RM4 million and RM5 million.
Elaborating, Kulasegaran said the PAC had previously put forward three options, namely for the government to purchase the e-Jamin system directly from Dapat Vista; subscribe to the system's services and products; or pay the maintenance and operating costs before the system is eventually handed over to the government.
However, he said the Ministry of Finance, on Oct 22, 2025, rejected all three commercial proposals and decided to retain the existing system at no cost to the government through a formal agreement, along with a trustee bank structure.
He said the e-Jamin system enables court bail payments to be made online and completed within less than half an hour, compared with about five hours under the previous physical payment method.
Kulasegaran said the e-Jamin system was introduced in 2020 as a stop-gap measure, but its use continued to this day because of the convenience it provided to the public and legal practitioners.
He added that 81,667 bail cases had used the system up to last year, involving collections amounting to RM255.198 million, but audits revealed no instances of financial misappropriation.
Kulasegaran said the government had taken note of the issues related to the investment of bail funds by the company operating the system and acknowledged the need to clearly define the relationship and responsibilities between the government and the operator.
Meanwhile, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, when winding up the debate on LKAN 2/2026 for his ministry, said a shortage of valuers at the Sabah Land and Survey Department (JTU) was among the main factors contributing to delays in the land acquisition process for the Phase 1 Sabah Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) project.
He said Sabah JTU currently has only seven valuers to handle valuation work statewide, affecting land acquisition and utility relocation at construction sites.
"In addition, the unsatisfactory performance of contractors is also among the causes of the delays. As such, Sabah Public Works Department officers have been instructed to conduct site inspections and ensure that contractors comply with the recovery plans,” he said.
To address the issue, he said the government was strengthening coordination with the state government through a steering committee co-chaired by the secretary-general of the Works Ministry and the Sabah State Secretary, as well as holding special state-level meetings to expedite the resolution of issues related to land acquisition and project implementation.
He said the Phase 1 Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project, comprising 35 work packages, had achieved physical progress of 89.01 per cent for Phase 1A, 37.5 per cent for WP09 and 23.96 per cent for Phase 1B.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes at 10 am tomorrow.
-- BERNAMA