THE Sessions Court today failed to execute an arrest warrant against Petra Group chief Vinod Sekhar in relation to a civil forfeiture case, reported Malaysiakini.

The court is looking for Vinod in a case involving Irish national John Slattery, who had sued him for breach of contract.

Slattery had won the case in June and the court had confiscated items from Vinod, including electrical appliances, furniture and fixtures valued at a total of RM150,000 to be auctioned off.

Lawyer Colin Pereira, who is representing Slattery in his US$108,000 (RM449,000) suit, said the bailiff went to Vinod’s house in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, this morning.

“Neither the judgment debtor nor his family was at home when the bailiff arrived to arrest him.

“The security guard was unable to confirm where they were. The judgment debtor’s Facebook seems to suggest that he is in London,” Pereira was quoted as saying.

The Malaysian Insight had reported that items seized by the court were supposed to be auctioned off yesterday but it was postponed after Vinod’s wife, Winy Yeap, filed a stay application in the high court, arguing that she owned the items in question.

In June, the court awarded Slattery US$108,000 as full settlement for his suit against the businessman.

The judgment was made in default on June 11, following Vinod’s failure to appear before the court.

Pereira had said that his client filed a civil suit against Vinod to claim the sum, which was paid to the businessman in 2017 as an investment in Green Rubber Sdn Bhd, a company of which Vinod was chairman and founder.

He said based on his client’s instructions, Vinod had promised his client positions in three companies, including as executive director in Green Rubber and as senior vice-president of strategic development in Vinod’s well-known Petra Group.

Pereira said Vinod had offered Slattery the opportunity to invest in Green Rubber, but according to his client, Vinod never mentioned he was bankrupt.

“My client had agreed to invest in the company and transferred the sum into Vinod’s personal bank account on May 16, 2017.”

He said that to date, no shares had been transferred to Slattery.

Pereira said the court ordered Vinod to pay US$108,000 or its equivalent in ringgit at the time of full settlement, plus 5% annual interest beginning May 16, 2017, until the debt was settled in full. – September 13, 2019.