Loke: Paid AES fines went to concessionaires, govt in no position to refund

(The Star) – The government is in no position to refund motorists who have paid their Automated Enforcement System (AES) traffic summonses promptly, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

“The money paid by these offenders went to the concessionaires appointed by the (previous) government.

“We are in no position to refund because the government did not benefit,” he told a press conference here on Wednesday (Aug 22) after distributing the Jalur Gemilang to motorists in Mantin.

The subject of refunds came up following Loke’s announcement last Friday (Aug 18) that all AES summonses issued since 2012 would be written off.

As of May, there were 3.1 million unpaid summonses, which is estimated to be worth up to RM435mil.

The move has drawn some criticism, with some commenting that it was unfair to those who had paid their fines.

Loke said his ministry would come up with a new approach for the AES, adding that discussions were ongoing with the Road Transport Department and other relevant agencies.

“I can’t say much now as this has not been finalised,” he said.

Asked if the rates would be reviewed, Loke said there would be no review as the law already stated that the maximum rate for some traffic offences was RM300.

The move to revamp the AES follows the Cabinet’s decision to take over full operations from two private companies effective Sept 1.

Loke had previously said that the agreement by the previous government with the concessionaires was so “lopsided” that the two firms easily got a profit and a return on their investments.

The minister said the two companies, Syarikat ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd, had so far raked in more than RM129mil.

Loke said that the only assets belonging to the companies were 47 speed cameras in the country, of which only 38 were operational.

He added that the cost of one camera was about RM250,000, which meant that the companies invested just over RM10mil to install the 47 cameras.