SINGAPORE : The new National Kidney Foundation (NKF) management is seeking more than S$12 million in damages in a civil suit against its former chief, three former directors, and a business associate.
Lawyers explain that several unquantifiable claims, upon assessment before the courts, could tip the scales beyond S$12 million.
All the claims were detailed in an 85-page statement to the High Court on April 24, and NKF lawyers Allen & Gledhill say unquantifiable ones make up a substantial portion of it.
The new NKF claims it suffered losses not only through improper payments, but also in its credibility, resulting in a drop in donations and support from volunteers and agencies.
The charity alleges that the loss of its reputation and goodwill in the eyes of the public has resulted in a drop in donations from existing donors as well as those who had cancelled regular donations.
Projects such as the charity shows were also affected and there has been a drop in the number of volunteers and support from medical, government agencies, and corporations, both within Singapore and abroad.
It was therefore seeking compensation for breach of duty from the five defendants, TT Durai [pictured above], Richard Yong, Matilda Chua, Loo Say San, and Pharis Aboobacker.
Said defence lawyer K Shanmugam, "Part of it is quantified; part of it is unquantified. Some parts of it, NKF has put a dollar claim -- what is the claim amount -- and some part of it is a matter for the court to make an assessment after hearing evidence as to how much is the damages."
The quantifiable claims alone amount to:
- S$2.1 million in salaries, bonuses and other benefits "improperly" paid to Durai;
- S$4.08 million for loss of donations in the form of Lifedrops income;
- Over S$556,000 in legal costs incurred when Durai and the old NKF brought a defamation suit against Singapore Press Holdings;
- And S$5.28 million paid to three companies linked to Pharis Aboobacker.
Mr Pharis, a friend of Durai, is in India, where relevant authorities are in the process of serving him the writ of summons.
He is the last of the five defendants to be told he is being sued by the new NKF.
Durai has been given additional two weeks, till May 31, to file his defence.
Richard Yong and Loo Say San filed their defence last Friday, while Matilda Chua is expected to do it at the start of the week.
Failure to file by the stipulated time would allow lawyers for the new NKF to apply for judgment against the relevant defendants.
Channel NewsAsia understands the trial is expected to begin in six to nine months.
Meantime, the criminal cases against Durai, Yong, Chua, Loo, and former NKF staff Ragini Vijayalingam will be mentioned again on June 19 at the Subordinate Courts.
At the pre-trial conference on Monday, the defence asked the prosecution for more documents pertaining to the charges.
- Channelnewsasia
8 comments:
It's the old lets kill Durai story. twelve million dollars, a goodlee sum.
Now what is the new KHF coe, a lady that must have been dregged out of the duspbins receive in backhanders, we will never know.
Anyway, the NKF are in a loosing wicket trying to get money out of Durai, it's all gone.
So who will be paying the NKG's huge legal bills for this case.
And so the circle goes around and around.
As a donator, I would not give NKF a cent I hope the whole organisation collapses.
As LKY originally said, I do not believe in charities, its akin to welfare.
If you cannot pay for the medical costs, hard uck, you just croak.
Trial in 6-9 months? Great. I'll bet the "commentary" from the blogsphere will begin rolling out shortly.
No doubt the trial will be a media circus too.
You car sales people out there, better start visiting those law offices real soon, and bring lots of those nice glossy brochures with you. Some folks who work there are going to be earning lotsa fees!
Vroom vroom!
SG=NKF
US=Tyson Foods
I find it ludicrous that you can even attempt to sue your ex CEO for excessive pay. If the board has failed its duty, the board has failed its duty. Its in Durai's own interest to ask for whatever he think he is worth, and the NKF board to approve or not. Its not like Durai misused funds on the scale of Dennis Kozlowski and bought gold umbrella stands for his own apartment.
The NKF board FAILED. Are we scapegoating Durai simply because he is a convenient target? Without Durai's efforts, could NKF have reached the scale of its works back in the late 1990s and early 2000s?
And can someone lay that golden tap urban legend to dust? Even the New Paper reported that Durai himself ordered them replaced. (no archive link available freely.)
And the plumber who noticed them also said they weren't there the next time he visited. People just remember what they prefer to remember (whatever the real facts), and let the "truth" fall by the wayside.
E.o.M.
KiWeTo you have missed the point. under singapore ruling, there is always somebody responsible. Durai is the easier skapegoat, and from the racial point of VIEW, after all he is Indian.
two points Singapore is Chinese ruled. and b there is always sosmebody responsible, even if he or she was out of the country at the time, there is always aa way of pinning the offence on that person.
It's like the court cases recently where a bus killed a pedestrian walking across a crossing. The judge suggested it was the walkers own fault bacause he did not jump out of the way in time. and swo it goes on.
Singapore is not a logical society. and as an outsider when you query any problem the answer5 is always down to that old crap
local culture. And only a singaporean born with his brain in his anus is able to follow this. so as you look around, every heartlander is a perfect match.
i just dont like his smug face.
I see, the virgin queen Matilda is telling anaother string of porkies (lies). The little lady certainly knew about the money
fiddles.
Matilda reminds me of another aging spinster, Irene NG. God Singapore breeds a funny bunch of sexless women, all waiting to get back home to mummy, and play with their rubber dolls sex bits.
I do not decry their choice of life style. But the whole business makes me wander what is happening to Singapore, few marriages, less babies, and more spinsters.
I can't wait for the moment when they turn on each other in court to save their own hides.
I agree with kiweto. The state is out to sacrifice a human to cover their govt bums and avoid responsibility for a flawed system.
TT may not be a "nice guy", he might be "greedy" and "self-centered", but justice is supposed to be blind to those "nasty" human traits.
Oh how one's morality (or lack of) is easily criminalised in Unique Singabloodypore.
And Bloody it shall be!
Perhaps one of the local playwrights could write a musical play about this. It'll make a great pantomime for families to enjoy come Christmas!
On with the show!
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