• 2025-07-03 08:16 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Fashion designer Datuk Jovian Mandagie has been declared bankrupt by the High Court for failing to settle a RM5.28 million loan, including interest, owed to engineering firm Cekap Air Sdn Bhd.

The decision was delivered by Senior Assistant Registrar Muhammad Faisal Zulkifli following a creditor’s petition filed on November 20, 2024.

Cekap Air’s lawyer, Siti Nur Athirazati Rohizad, confirmed that her client had issued a bankruptcy notice on May 21, 2024, after Mandagie failed to comply with a direct judgment issued by the court on April 2 the same year.

“The court has dismissed all applications by Jovian to strike out the bankruptcy proceedings,“ she said.

The dispute stems from a friendly loan extended to Mandagie in February 2022, based on his verbal agreement with Cekap Air director Yong Zhen Wei. The RM5 million was transferred to Mandagie’s law firm’s client account, with repayment expected within 12 months. However, the fashion designer allegedly defaulted, prompting legal action.

Mandagie had filed a defence statement on June 20, 2023, but the court ruled in favour of Cekap Air, ordering repayment. An appeal is scheduled for September 15 at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya. - Bernama