The sessions court has ordered Siva Kumar Ganapathy, who claimed a Sarawak government mandate to launch a state election news portal in 2021, to pay journalist Frankie D’Cruz over RM200,000 for failure to honour promised editor’s income and unpaid retainers.
This underscores the binding force of their WhatsApp‑formed employment contract.
Free Malaysia Today reported that judge Halilah Suboh handed down the judgment on July 17, 2025, allowing all claims on the basis of the balance of probabilities.
The judge accepted that a valid contract was formed via WhatsApp between Siva Kumar, purporting to head Sarawakmirror.com, and D’Cruz for the editor position ahead of the 2021 Sarawak state elections.
Halilah noted that D’Cruz had turned down a competing offer from a Canadian media company in reliance on the defendant’s assurances.
Relying on these assurances, D’Cruz paid RM39,585 to secure that shareholding, only to have the defendant subsequently renege on both the equity arrangement and the promised editorial role.
D’Cruz’s counsel Haaziq Pillay hailed the decision as an affirmation that media professionals will not be left uncompensated for work and commitments made in good faith.
He said the successful claim emphasises the enforceability of digital communications in forming binding contracts under Section 10(1) of the Contracts Act 1950.
Read the full article on Free Malaysia Today.
