K. C. Vijayan Law Correspondent
Sun, Nov 04, 2012
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| Ms Lim was sued by Madam Mariam for the loss of her diamond bracelet worth more than US$5 million |
SINGAPORE - Former national badminton player Fatimah Kumin Lim turned up in court on Wednesday to settle a $7.1 million judgment debt she owed to the former wife of the Sultan of Brunei, Madam Mariam Aziz.
Ms Lim, 35, handed over the title deeds of her Tanglin district apartment to the High Court Sheriff's office.
The 90 sq m freehold unit, which she bought in 2009, is expected to be auctioned off as part of the court-ordered moves to seize her assets to settle the debt, which she incurred through the sale of Madam Mariam's jewellery without her knowledge.
Ms Lim was also quizzed about her assets in a closed door court hearing before Assistant Registrar Ruth Yeo by Allen & Gledhill lawyers acting for Madam Mariam.
The hearing gave her an opportunity to explain her financial position and how she acquired any personal assets located here or abroad. Ms Lim defended herself in person without a lawyer.
The move to recover monies from her stemmed from a suit brought in London last year by Madam Mariam against her former bodyguard and personal assistant for the loss of her diamond bracelet, worth more than US$5 million (S$6.1 million), and other pieces.
Ms Lim claimed Madam Mariam had asked her to sell the gems to settle casino bills. But it emerged that it was Ms Lim who had run up the gambling debts and sold the bracelet in 2008 to pay them off.
UK High Court Justice Keith Lindblom said in his judgment in March that Ms Lim's defence was "simply incapable of belief", and she "had not told the truth about several things that matter in these proceedings".
After winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, Ms Lim went to Brunei as a badminton coach and later got a job with Madam Mariam. Court documents showed she led a heady lifestyle, gambling with her fabulously wealthy employer at casinos around the world.
In April, the London court ordered Ms Lim to repay Madam Mariam $7.88 million, which included $755,592 in legal costs.
Madam Mariam then applied to have the High Court here enforce the UK judgment order against Ms Lim, based on reciprocal court arrangements in Commonwealth countries.
By August, lawyers had traced and recovered about $4.6 million from various bank accounts and sources linked to Ms Lim through court garnishee proceedings, according to court documents filed.
This left a judgment debt of some $2.5 million still unpaid and the seizure and sale of the Shanghai Road flat is expected to help settle the sum.
Ms Lim looked downcast as she left court after the hearing.
Dipetik dari - AsiaOne.com
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