Kuala lumpur: Fashion designer Datuk Jovian Mandagie was today declared bankrupt by the High Court after failing to repay a friendly loan of RM5.28 million, including interest, to engineering construction company Cekap Air Sdn Bhd (Cekap Air).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Senior Assistant Registrar Muhammad Faisal Zulkifli issued the bankruptcy order following the allowance of the creditors’ petition filed on November 20, 2024. Lawyer Siti Nur Athirazati Rohizad, representing Cekap Air, stated that the company had filed a bankruptcy notice on May 21, 2024, after Jovian failed to comply with a direct judgment issued by the court on April 2 of the same year.
“After obtaining leave to issue a bankruptcy notice against Jovian, we filed the creditors’ petition. In today’s proceedings, the court issued a bankruptcy order against Jovian,” said the lawyer. She added that Jovian had filed several applications to stay and strike out the notice and bankruptcy petition, but all were dismissed by the court.
Based on the creditors’ bankruptcy petition, Cekap Air sought a bankruptcy order against Jovian for failing to pay RM5,284,340.66, including interest, as ordered by the High Court. On April 2, the previous year, Judge Datuk Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin had ordered Jovian to repay the loan after allowing Cekap Air’s application for a direct judgment against him.
Jovian’s appeal against the judgment will be heard at the Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, on September 15. The direct judgment was issued based on written submissions without a full trial. Cekap Air had initially sued Jovian on May 16, 2023, alleging that he failed to repay RM5 million loaned to him based on his friendship with the company’s director, Yong Zhen Wei.
Cekap Air claimed the loan was verbally requested by Jovian on February 25, 2022, with the understanding that it would be repaid within 12 months. The company asserted that the loan was given based on friendship without any documented agreement, as Jovian owned several other businesses. However, they alleged that Jovian breached the loan agreement, causing financial losses to the company.
In today’s proceedings, Jovian was represented by lawyer Nur Irdina Syahirah Mohammad Wardi. Jovian had filed a statement of defence on June 20, 2023.