Singapore High Court rejects CEO's S$468,000 gift-as-loan claim against ex-girlfriend
The Singapore High Court dismissed Chander Agarwal’s attempt to recover S$468,090 from former partner Felicia Lee, ruling the money was given as gifts, not loans.
Chander Agarwal, CEO of the India-listed TCI Express Limited, filed a civil suit in March 2024 seeking repayment of S$468,090 he claimed Lee had borrowed interest-free. The High Court, presided over by Senior Judge Lee Seiu Kin, concluded the expenditures - including luxury goods, travel, and fees for a Stanford-NUS programme - were gifts, not loans. Evidence demonstrated Agarwal’s “smitten” behaviour, such as buying a Louis Vuitton handbag and arranging first-class flights, and his own admissions that he never framed the payments as loans.
The judge also rejected claims that Lee misled him about the seriousness of their relationship, noting a lack of objective proof and Agarwal’s own infidelities. Consequently, the court dismissed the claim, emphasizing that the money was voluntarily given and not recoverable.
Why it matters
The ruling clarifies legal distinctions between gifts and loans in Singapore’s civil law, affecting future high-profile relationship disputes.
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