A victim of a collapsed building firm is furious because the liquidators are chasing his business for $31,000 even though he’s already thousands out of pocket.
The majority of its creditors were casual staff owed small amounts of money, and the company’s former director Djin Siauw said that a large portion of its debt was owed to shareholders such as himself who tried to prop up the company. Petr Vrsecky and Paul Allan of insolvency firm PKF Melbourne are the appointed liquidators, and in conversation with news.com.au, Mr Vrsecky said “Anyone who received money in the last six months tip it back in and share it”.According to a statutory liquidator’s report lodged with the corporate regulator, seven creditors received payments in the six months before Exel Infragroup went under.All seven companies, which includes Synergy Traffic Management, have been sent letters of demand.
Indeed, in the same statutory report, it’s stated that unsecured creditors like Mr Phillips are unlikely to receive any return for their losses.This makes it even more untenable for the small business owner to comply with the demand. The liquidators have also issued a demand of payment to VicTrack, the government body that hired them to complete the railway project.Previously, VicTrack stated to news.com.au that all payments to Exel Infragroup had been made.Liquidators have established that Exel Infragroup was insolvent since at least December last year.Six related creditors linked to the business are owed around $2.9 million while another six trade creditors owed over $1 million in unsecured debt.
“The action that I seek is for the minister to intervene and fund the full payment of all outstanding money owed to subcontractors for work on the state government’s northeast line upgrade to ensure subcontractors have confidence to participate in future government projects,” she said in a question tabled in the Victorian parliament earlier in September, aimed at Jacinta Allan, who was the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure at the time.