Petra Group boss Vinod Sekhar and his wife Winy Yeap are being sued by a group of multinational investors and former employees for alleged fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract and an acknowledgement of debt.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they may summon Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to act as a witness.
"My clients have instructed me to call every named individual in the legal action to appear in person to testify in the High Court hearing, which may include Anwar," lawyer Colin Andrew Pereira said in a statement yesterday.
Law firm Messrs Goh Wong Pereira said the plaintiffs alleged that Vinod (above) did not disclose he was bankrupt when he was lobbying for their money.
"The plaintiffs, who are from across the globe, including the US, Panama, the UK, Dubai and Thailand, allege that Vinod persuaded them to invest in his green rubber business, despite not informing them of his status as a bankrupt at the material times.
"In papers submitted to the High Court, the plaintiffs allege that Vinod had provided reassurances that one ‘Anwar’, understood to be the prime minister, would resolve any issue relating to his status as a bankrupt at the material times," it also said.
The firm also reported that a gag order sought by Vinod had been rejected by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation of just under RM30 million, inclusive of interests.
Legal trouble
Vinod had previously boasted about his long friendship with Anwar.
This is not the first time Vinod has landed in legal trouble over his green rubber business.
Hollywood actor Bruce Willis had in 2008 sued Petra Group subsidiary Green Rubber Global and its then chairperson Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar after his investment went sour.
Vinod was said to have convinced Willis to invest.
A separate suit in 2019 by an Irish national also saw an attempt to seize the businessperson's assets.
Besides the rubber business, Vinod and Petra Group also ventured into media when they set up The Vibes in 2020.
Last year, it was reported that The Vibes would be merging and acquiring The Malaysian Insight.
However, The Malaysian Insight stopped publication two weeks ago after staff stopped being paid for over two months. - Mkini
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