Lawyer S Rabindra, representing Shahril, told Justice Leong Wai Hong the documents were recently found in the email account of an individual named as a defendant in a separate suit brought by Sapura Resources Bhd against petitioner Shahriman Shamsuddin.
“Those documents relate to matters pertaining to this petition, including events that form (its) basis and the tactical thinking behind it,” he said, adding that they will also reveal “what the petitioner’s true intentions were”.
Rabindra said the stash includes a certain request for documents, discussion between parties leading up to the appointment of audit firm EY, and a separation scheme, all of which are central to his ongoing cross-examination of Shahriman.
“I cannot stress how important these documents are in relation to the petition itself.
“It was a very fortuitous and accidental discovery of documents that actually belonged to somebody else, but the petitioner was a party to all legal proceedings (from which they emanate),” he said.
Shahriman’s lawyer, Gopal Sreenevasan, called for the judge to direct that Rabindra continue his cross-examination of Shahriman, arguing that the application could be dealt with either simultaneously or at a later date.
However, Leong denied the request, saying the court has to follow procedure and deal with the matter before cross-examination can continue.
The court set Sept 26 to hear this and an earlier application to admit several documents.
In April, SRB filed a RM3.22 million suit against Shahriman, the company’s former managing director, alleging breaches of fiduciary, statutory, contractual, common law and equitable duties.
The suit also named former employees and consultants Syed Haroon Omar Alshatrie and Syed Muhammad Hasan Alsagoff, as well as Explorer Group Sdn Bhd as defendants.
Shahriman is seeking to wind up SHSB, the parent entity of over 40 subsidiaries, valued at RM832 million, including the publicly listed SRB.
Both Shahril and Shahriman hold a 48% stake in SHSB, with the remaining 4% owned by Rameli Musa.
The petition names SHSB, Shahril and Rameli, who is also a director, as respondents.
In the petition, Shahriman claims that an irreparable breakdown in mutual trust and confidence between Shahril and him, particularly over Project Apex, necessitated SHSB’s dissolution.
The respondents oppose the petition, contending that SHSB was never intended as a family business and that dissolution would be neither just nor equitable.
The hearing continues.