In a parliamentary reply, works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the figure was provided by the receivers and managers appointed by the sukuk holders after they issued a notice of default to the concession company in January 2022.

He noted that the actual cost might now be higher as the highway had been left idle for an extended period and would require repairs and other work in line with current prices.

Nanta said the government still did not know when the project would be completed or what the toll rates would be as the receivers and managers were still preparing a full proposal covering cash flow, financing costs, traffic studies, concession terms, and toll rates to make the project viable.

“We cannot set the completion date or toll rates yet because we are still waiting for the full proposal from the receivers and managers,” he said.

Nanta was responding to Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong), who had asked about the total cost and expected completion date of the project.

Work on MEX II, a planned 16.8km extension linking the MEX Putrajaya interchange to the KLIA highway, began in 2016 but stalled after the concessionaire faced serious cash flow problems.

The project has since been the subject of investigations and court cases over alleged false claims and misappropriation of funds.

In September, Maju Holdings director Abu Sahid Mohamed was charged with criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving hundreds of millions of ringgit linked to the MEX II project.