The Court of Appeal ordered entrepreneur Aliff Syukri to pay RM10,000 in damages for breaching a settlement agreement with ex-partners
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has ordered entrepreneur Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri Kamarzaman to pay RM10,000 in nominal damages to two former business partners for breaching a settlement agreement.
A three-judge panel led by Justice Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan allowed the appeal by Iylia Nurdiyana Jasny and Mohd Syazwan Roslan.
The ruling set aside earlier decisions by the Sessions Court and High Court which had rejected the couple’s suit against the celebrity entrepreneur.
Justice Azizul stated the court found Aliff Syukri had failed to fulfil his obligation to promote the couple’s restaurant three months after a contract was signed.
However, the judge said the appellants failed to prove their claimed damages were directly caused by this lack of promotion.
The court therefore awarded only the nominal sum of RM10,000 in damages.
The panel, which included Justices Datuk Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin and Datin Paduka Evrol Mariette Peters, also ordered Aliff Syukri to pay RM30,000 in legal costs.
Iylia Nurdiyana and Mohd Syazwan, owners of Belanga Bonda Kitchen, had sued seeking a declaration that an agreement with Aliff Syukri was terminated.
They also sought the return of RM285,000 paid to him.
The agreement, signed on December 6, 2018, involved using Aliff Syukri’s name and concept for a restaurant venture called Rumah Makan Terlajak Laris.
It stipulated he would sell the Kota Damansara business to the couple for RM285,000 and promote the restaurant on his social media.
The couple claimed he failed to perform any promotional duties three months after the purchase, causing a decline in sales.
Aliff Syukri maintained in his defence that he had fulfilled the terms and promoted the restaurant as agreed.
The Sessions Court ruled against the couple on July 11, 2023, a decision upheld by the High Court on July 2 last year. – Bernama
