KOCHI : Businessman and film producer Murali Das K V has sued a Malayali settled in Australia, accusing the latter of cheating him of Rs 1.60 crore after the two started a tiles business together. However, Shibu John, of Champakulam, Alappuzha, who is settled in Perth has rubbished the claims.
The producer of Jayasurya-starrer Vellam, Murali also runs a tiles exporting business registered under the name Waterman Tiles Pvt Ltd.
At a press conference, Murali claimed that he befriended Shibu through a London-based friend. In 2022, they decided to start a tiles business registered in Australia.
“As per the agreement, Shibu owned a 65% stake in the company, with the rest held by me. On receiving orders, I exported 15 containers of tiles to Australia. However, Shibu informed me that the received tiles were defective and asked me to ship another batch. I sent another 16 containers. But my payments have been withheld based on the claim the tiles are not up to Australian standard,” he said.
Murali further alleged that his partnership in the company was dissolved in 2023 without his consent. “My loss in the business is to the tune of `1.60 crore,” he said.
Dismissing the accusations, Shibu told TNIE that Waterman Australia Pty Ltd was established with full ownership attributed to Cyber Computer Recycling, a company owned by him.
Murali was not made part of the ownership structure due to the fact that he is not based in Australia, Shibu said over WhatsApp messages and emails from Australia. “After the defective tiles were brought to the notice of Murali, he promised to send eight more containers. During the time, he secured a purchase order for eight containers from clients in Melbourne,” Shibu said.