Stephen Anthony Aldridge (Appellant) v Mordaunt Estates Ltd (Respondent) (Mauritius)
Case ID: JCPC 2019/0118
Jurisdiction: Supreme Court of Mauritius
Case summary
Issue
Whether the Supreme Court of Mauritius was correct to find the Appellant, Mr. Stephen Anthony Aldridge, liable for having breached the Companies Act 2001 for having debited the bank account of the Respondent, Mordaunt Estates Ltd., and credited his own account for the sum of GBP 615,000.
Facts
Mr. Alridge, the Director of Mordaunt Estates Ltd., received a total GBP 615,000 to his personal account from the Mordaunt Estates account between May 2009-January 2009. On 18th May 2011, Mordaunt Estates Ltd. entered a Plaint with Summons against Mr. Aldridge in the Supreme Court of Mauritius, submitting that the payments should be declared void and claiming for the return of the entire sum and an additional GBP 100,000 in damages. Mr. Aldridge claimed that the payments to him were authorised by Mordaunt Estates by way of a shareholders' resolution dated 15 February 2010. He claimed during the trial that a Loan Application Form which Mordaunt Estates produced as evidence of the unlawful transactions was a forgery. On 17 March 2016, the Supreme Court of Mauritius found in favour of Mordaunt Estates, declared the loan void and ordered Mr. Aldridge to reimburse the total amount, plus MUR two million. and costs. Mr. Aldridge appealed to the Supreme Court of Mauritius (Court of Civil Appeal) which upheld the first-instance judgment. On 25 March 2019, the Supreme Court of Mauritius granted Mr. Aldridge leave to appeal to the Board.
Parties
Appellant
Stephen Anthony Aldridge
Respondent
Mordaunt Estates Ltd
Appeal
Justices
Lord Hodge, Lord Leggatt, Lord Richards
Hearing start date
14 November 2024
Hearing finish date
14 November 2024