Sabah Opposition leader Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan may be declared bankrupt and will be unable to contest the coming elections (GE14) if he fails to settle an outstanding loan of RM480,489.40.
According to a notice published in Sabah’s Daily Express newspaper today, the Parti Solidarity Sabah TanahAirku president has been ordered to pay the outstanding amount within seven days of the notice or face bankruptcy.
The notice issued by the deputy registrar of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak said that the sum of RM480,489.40 had to be paid to Lee Yau Cheong@James as a judgment creditor based on a Sessions Court summons or a counterclaim, set-off or cross demand made.
If Jeffrey, 69, does not settle the claim within the stipulated time, he may be declared bankrupt and his nomination and candidacy for GE14 could be rendered void.
Jeffrey, when contacted, said that the claim was made to tarnish his reputation ahead of GE14 and that he would be applying to the court to set it aside.
“It’s just someone trying to use the election as an opportunity to extract payment (money) on a disputed claim. It won’t affect my eligibility,” he said through a WhatsApp message.
“I have applied to set aside the claim,” he added.
The Bingkor assemblyman has expressed his desire to contest the Tambunan state seat on May 9, as well as the Keningau parliamentary seat, both of which his older brother, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, is the incumbent.
In GE13, the younger Kitingan contested the Keningau seat against Pairin and garnered 11,900 to 15,818 votes or a margin of 3,918 votes. PKR candidate Stephen Sandor got 7,825 votes.
He, however, won the Bingkor state seat against Upko’s Kennedy Jie John, with a slim 456 majority. – MMO