Businessman loses appeal to claim RM185,671 lottery prize without ticket in Shah Alam court

PETALING JAYA, Oct 19 — A businessman named M Mahendravarman has lost his appeal to claim a RM185,671 lottery prize in Shah Alam court after he could not provide the original winning ticket. The case was dismissed by judicial commissioner Seow Hock Peng today at the Shah Alam High Court, with a cost of RM3,000 ordered to be paid by Mahendravarman.

The businessman had purchased a RM30 ticket bearing numbers 1515 and 1010 in Petaling Jaya on May 14, 2022, and won the large sum. He had taken a photograph of the ticket but later lost it. He filed a police report on May 16, 2022, and tried to claim the prize using the photo, but the lottery operator Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd refused to pay without the original ticket.

During the appeal, counsel R Kengadharan contended that the Sessions Court had placed too much emphasis on the missing ticket while ignoring other evidence, pointing out that the company's witness confirmed the serial number in the police report matched the ticket photo. Kengadharan invoked the Evidence Act 1950 to justify admitting secondary evidence when original documents are lost.

However, the company's lawyer, Shamala Devi Balasundaram, argued that their rules required the original ticket to avoid fraud or duplicate claims. Kengadharan stated he would seek instructions from Mahendravarman about the possibility of seeking another appeal.