PETALING JAYA: One of the two premises used by Network School (NS) was found to have breached local authority regulations, says Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said checks by the Iskandar Puteri city council (MBIP) found that NS, a private residential community in Forest City which was earlier said to have Israelis among its members, was operating at two premises — with one holding a valid office business licence and the other operating without an MBIP business licence.
In a statement, Onn Hafiz said the premises without a valid licence had been issued a notice to cease business operations, while another notice was also issued over a non-compliant advertising signboard.
“The inspection also found that one of the premises, which was registered as an office, was being used for classroom activities and business promotions without the necessary approval.
“The Johor government stresses that MBIP will continue investigating all aspects under its jurisdiction, including compliance with licensing requirements, building use, land conditions and other regulations.
“Should any violation of the law, licence conditions or applicable regulations be found, further enforcement action will be taken in accordance with legal provisions,” he said.
This comes after the Johor government ordered a comprehensive review of NS’s operations following public concerns over the programme.
Onn Hafiz had earlier said the state government would not allow any organisation to use Johor as a platform for activities that contravene Malaysian laws, sovereignty or national interests.
NS, a private residential community founded by former Coinbase chief technology officer and investor Balaji Srinivasan, came under scrutiny following claims that Israeli nationals were among its participants.
The immigration department, however, said that all 266 foreign participants from 40 countries possessed valid immigration documents.
Srinivasan yesterday said NS, which had already invested over RM100 million in its Forest City campus and was about to embark on a RM500 million expansion project, had put its Malaysian investment plans on hold “until we get sufficient assurance that such issues won’t recur”.
He also said he was open to discussing a memorandum of understanding with the federal government, adding that NS would reallocate its capital to other countries if Malaysia did not want its investments.
