A PROMINENT revolving restaurant Atmosphere 360 located in the iconic KL Tower has been abruptly closed by its management following a vacate order issued by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
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The court directive mandated Atmosphere 360 to vacate its rented unit in KL Tower by Jan 4, 2024, according to news portal FreeMalaysiaToday.
The vacate order was sought by Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd and its current owner, Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd, against the restaurant owner Asian Kitchen (M) Sdn Bhd.
Asian Kitchen CEO Ringo Kaw expressed shock upon receiving the notice and confirmed the closure. He revealed that High Court bailiffs appeared at the restaurant, ordering an immediate shutdown, even with customers dining at the time.
“The High Court’s bailiffs appeared in our restaurant yesterday (Dec 21) morning and ordered us to shut down, and there were a lot of customers dining at the time.
“Christmas and New Year celebrations are around the corner and our reservations have been extended to next year. So we have no choice but to offer our customers a refund. I feel really helpless. We hope the authorities can treat us fairly,” lamented Kaw.
Moreover, Kaw highlighted that before Hydroshoppe took over KL Tower’s management, the previous management verbally assured the restaurant a three-year tenancy extension. However, the new management only allowed the restaurant to remain until the end of the year.
“We have also taken the matter to court because the takeover (of KL Tower by Hydroshoppe) is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission,” he added.
Asian Kitchen has taken the matter to court, citing the ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the takeover of KL Tower by Hydroshoppe.
Meanwhile in April, Hydroshoppe director Datuk Abdul Hamid Shaikh Abdul Razak Shaikh faced charges of allegedly offering an annual RM500,000 bribe over 15 years to former communications and multimedia minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa to expedite the KL Tower concession takeover.
Furthermore, Asian Kitchen filed a suit against Menara KL and Hydroshoppe, alleging that the transfer of shares and ownership from the tower’s previous owner Telekom Malaysia Bhd to Hydroshoppe was null and void due to issues of illegality linked to Hamid’s corruption charge.
Hydroshoppe filed a bid for a summary judgment against the restaurant, seeking a declaration that the tenancy agreement had expired on June 30 and urging Atmosphere 360 to vacate the unit. The court ruled in favour of Menara KL and Hydroshoppe, leading to the execution of the summary judgment and the immediate closure of Atmosphere 360.
Source : Focus
The Coverage Malaysia
