Rina pays off million-ringgit debt to halt bankruptcy action
(FMT) – Facing the prospect of being declared a bankrupt, women, family and community development minister Rina Harun has settled her multimillion-ringgit debts to a Paris-based film and television programme production company.
Lawyer Mark Ho Hing Kheong, who represented Sarl Novovision, said the exact outstanding amount, which he declined to disclose, was paid last week.
“We received a cheque on Wednesday and it was cleared the following day,” he told FMT when contacted.
A statement of claim against Rina was filed on Nov 8, 2018 by the French firm and that the full amount must be paid by July 31, 2019.
The claim was for several films, comedy shows and documentaries in the comedy genre sold to three companies in which Rina was director.
The documents also stated that an interest rate of 5% per annum was imposed from the date of the statement of claim.
She was served a bankruptcy notice for debts owed to the company to the tune of RM1,340,642.02 as of Nov 17, 2020.
According to the background of the case reported by a news portal, Rina, who was one of the directors of now-defunct companies Eurofine (M) Sdn Bhd, Fine Mobile Network Sdn Bhd and Fine TV Network Sdn Bhd, had purchased several comedy shows and documentaries from the company.
Rina and another company director, Ida Rahayu Md Noor, had in May 2014 entered into a guarantee agreement with Sarl Novovision that they would personally and jointly undertake all liabilities of the companies.
However, the companies were closed down between December 2013 and August 2015, respectively.