Court of Appeal rejects fashion designer Jovian Mandagie’s bid to overturn RM10m payment order

The Court of Appeal recently denied former fashion designer Jovian Mandagie's request to overturn a RM10 million payment order. A three-judge panel, including Justices Datuk Wong Kian Kheong, Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril, and Datin Paduka Evrol Mariette Peters, ruled unanimously in favor of the two companies that sued Mandagie. The dissenting vote was cast by Justice Peters.

The majority decision stated that the burden of proving the existence of a triable issue rested on Mandagie, which he failed to do. The court held that Mandagie, who is the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was required to pay RM60,000 in legal costs.

In the case, Bina Pragmatik Sdn Bhd and Cekap Air Sdn Bhd filed lawsuits against Mandagie, accusing him of breaching friendly loan agreements. Bina Pragmatik claimed that it had lent Mandagie RM5 million based on their verbal request on March 25, 2022, with repayment due within 12 months. The company stated that despite multiple verbal requests for repayment, Mandagie failed to pay the amount, resulting in a financial loss.

Similarly, Cekap Air claimed that it had granted Mandagie a RM5 million loan following his verbal request on February 25, 2022, with repayment due within 12 months. The company alleged that Mandagie had breached the loan agreement and had yet to repay or return the money, leading to financial losses.

The High Court granted summary judgment against Mandagie on April 2 and April 4, 2024, respectively, ordering him to pay RM5 million to each company.