New Delhi: In a high-profile legal dispute that has drawn significant attention, the Singapore High Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Indian-origin corporate executive seeking to recover approximately ₹3.5 crore (SGD 468,090) he spent on his former girlfriend.
The plaintiff, Chander Agarwal, who serves as the CEO and Managing Director of the India-listed logistics company TCI Express, claimed the massive sum was provided as an “interest-free loan.” He initiated the legal proceedings against his ex-girlfriend, Felicia Lee, after their relationship ended in 2023.
According to the court documents, Agarwal covered a wide array of exorbitant personal expenses during their time together. A detailed breakdown revealed that a significant portion of the funds went towards clearing Lee’s credit card bills, amounting to nearly SGD 2.06 lakh (₹1.38 crore). The business executive also funded lavish foreign holidays for the couple, costing around SGD 1.29 lakh (₹86.4 lakh).
The expenditures went well beyond travel and daily bills. Agarwal paid SGD 30,000 (₹20.1 lakh) to enrol Lee in a Stanford-NUS Executive program, spent SGD 17,000 (₹11.4 lakh) on professional Feng Shui consultations, and contributed SGD 15,775 (₹10.6 lakh) towards her life insurance premiums. Furthermore, the total amount included extensive luxury shopping sprees featuring high-end designer brands such as Hermes, Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton.
During the judicial proceedings, Agarwal maintained that the financial support was strictly a temporary loan that needed to be repaid after their breakup. However, the court observed that he failed to present any formal agreement, documentation, or concrete evidence to substantiate this claim.
Delivering the final verdict on September 9, the Singapore High Court stated that the funds were spent voluntarily as gifts out of affection during the course of their romantic relationship. The court ruled that demanding the money back and reclassifying it as a loan simply because the relationship soured holds no legal validity without prior proof.
Consequently, the court not only rejected Agarwal’s petition to recover the ₹3.5 crore but also directed him to bear the legal expenses incurred by his ex-girlfriend during the trial.