Rina to settle amount owed to production company soon

KUALA LUMPUR: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun (pic) will settle soon the amount due under the judgment debtor summons filed by a Paris-based production company against her.

Her lawyer Hussin Mohd Razak said his client had yesterday issued several cheques to the company towards the settlement.

“She will discuss the amount agreed to by the company soon, ” he said.

Hussin was speaking to reporters after Rina was unable to appear before High Court deputy registrar Farah Shuhada Ramli for yesterday’s judgment debtor summons hearing.

The court then fixed Oct 22 for another case management.

“God willing, my client will attend it. We can settle this issue as soon as possible.

“Unfortunately, she has an emergency today that she can’t avoid, ” said Hussin.

Lawyer Mark Ho, who is representing French production company Sarl Novovision, said Rina had proposed settlement terms with his client but he could not disclose the terms.

“I am sorry but I am not at liberty to reveal anything about it pending court proceedings.

“However, today the minister has handed over cheques as an instalment payment and on that basis, the court granted a new date for the judgment debtor summons, ” he said.

A judgment debtor summons is issued by the court to the judgment debtor to compel the person to appear in court to provide information about their assets and how they can be disposed of to settle the judgment debt.

Under a clause in the application of the summons, the amount claimed is not to be disclosed to the public.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Rina – through her 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 worth millions of ringgit from the Paris-based production company between 2011 and 2013.

The companies were shut down between December 2013 and August 2015.

In May 2014, Rina and another company director, Ida Rahayu Md Noor, entered into a guarantee agreement with Sarl Novovision that they would personally and jointly undertake all liabilities of the companies.

In April last year, a consent judgment was entered between both parties after the women’s chief of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia failed to settle the disputed amount.