Petra Group chief's RM30 million suit, unpacked
Businessman Vinod Sekhar contends legal action meant to embarrass him.
You’re reading a subscriber-only edition of The Malaysianist, a newsletter on business and politics by journalist Emmanuel Samarathisa.
Today’s post unpacks the suit brought by 12 investors and former staff of Petra Group against its chief, Vinod Sekhar, who’s also a staunch advocate of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Wrapping up today’s dispatch is a profile of Vinod.
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Disclaimer: I worked for news portal The Vibes, a subsidiary of Vinod Sekhar’s Petra Group, from August 2020 to December 2021.
On Monday, I published a news break on Petra Group chief Vinod Sekhar and his wife Winy Yeap Liew Heoh being sued for alleged fraud. The story was based on a media advisory sent by the plaintiffs’ lawyers Messrs Goh Wong Pereira.
The group suing the couple is demanding RM30 million (GBP4.9 million) in compensation and, through their lawyers, have expressed intent to call up Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Tunku Imran Tunku Jaafar as witnesses.
The plaintiffs consist of 12 foreign nationals who either claim to work for a Petra subsidiary or have invested in one of Vinod’s firms.