KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court will hear early next year a suit filed by a travel agency against senior minister Mohamed Azmin Ali over unpaid bills amounting to RM176,332.
Azmin’s lawyer, Shahid Adli Kamarudin, said the trial would begin on Jan 26 before judge Lailatul Zuraida Harron @ Haron and would continue for another three days from Feb 24.
“The parties involved have filed all the required documents to commence the trial,” he told FMT, adding that action against Azmin’s children was being handled by other lawyers.
Last year, YHA Travel & Tours (M) Sdn Bhd filed legal action against Azmin. The company’s lawyer, Adam Yap, later said his client would seek to include the minister’s four children as defendants to the action.
The action against a daughter of Azmin, Farah Shazliyana, was later dropped after she is said to have settled dues amounting to RM8,510.
Azmin, in his defence, denied liability for the travel bills of the other three children – Farah Afifah, Farah Amira and Mohamed Ameer Shazrin.
He said his children, who are all adults, were willing to settle the amounts owed to the company.
YHA initially sued Azmin, accusing him of failing to pay outstanding bills for himself and his family despite repeated requests.
Azmin filed a counterclaim, saying the agency’s owners were involved in a conspiracy against him regarding the gay sex video controversy early last year.
He alleged that the owners, who are a married couple, enjoy a close relationship with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and that their son, Mohd Haziq Hassan, and Anwar’s aide, Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, were previously arrested by police for investigations into a criminal conspiracy in the distribution of the video clips.
Early this year, the Sessions Court allowed YHA’s attempt to include Azmin’s children as additional defendants but in September, the company withdrew its action.
It has filed fresh suits against the three children to recover RM102,560 but is having difficulty serving the court papers by ordinary means and has sought to do so through a substitute service.