KUALA LUMPUR: The National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil is expected to reopen by September despite the controversy surrounding its renovation contract, according to Malaysia Stadium Corporation (MSC) acting chief executive officer Khairul Azhar Sardar Mohamad.
The centre, built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has been closed since October 2023 for renovation and upgrading works. Since then, national players have been training at the National Sports Council Squash Centre in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur.
Khairul Azhar, who was appointed acting CEO of MSC on April 22 after Dr Helmy Haja Mydin was named MSC chairman, said renovation work began on March 3, with the JKR (Public Works Department) carrying out roof repairs.
“That work has been completed.
“The contractor (Aerolux Power Construction) has promised to complete the remaining renovations by Aug 30, but we are ahead of schedule. As of today, we are 46 per cent complete, compared with the projected 42 per cent.
“Next month, we will begin work on the courts and assemble the glass walls. We are working closely with SRAM (Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia) to ensure everything is in order.”
The project came under scrutiny in early April when MSC chief executive officer Ilyas Jamil was detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on suspicion of accepting bribes linked to the renovation contract.
Ilyas pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday to seven corruption charges involving more than RM1 million in connection with a tender to upgrade the centre. The 42-year-old entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Suzana Hussin.
Despite the controversy, SRAM president Gerard Monteiro said the governing body remained focused on reopening the facility.
“I do not wish to comment on the court case or on Ilyas, as it has nothing to do with SRAM,” Monteiro told Twentytwo13.
“My main concern is the reopening of the National Squash Centre. We are pleased that work has begun and remains on track for completion.”
