"Coercion" "Coercion" is the committing, or threatening to commit any act forbidden by the Penal Code, or the unlawful detaining or threatening to detain, any property, to the prejudice of any person whatever, with the intention of causing any person to enter into an agreement.” [44] Perbualan WhatsApp antara Plaintif dan Defendan di Ekshibit N-1 Afidavit Jawapan Plaintif berkenaan Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama: [45] Perenggan D Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama tersebut adalah seperti berikut: - “Due to the consideration of Blackstone Dagangan Sdn. Bhd being non-active, The First Party and Second Party has agreed to wind up / dissolve the said company. The Second Party has agreed to refund the First Party’s investment into Blackstone Dagangan Sdn Bhd and a further investment on the Recruitment Agency Rights to a Third Party. The Second Party agrees and undertakes to refund of the total amount of Ringgit Malaysia Three Hundred Sixty Eight Thousand and Six Hundred (RM368,600.00).” [46] Perenggan 2 Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama tersebut adalah seperti berikut: “Defendan akan membayar balik keseluruhan wang Plaintif sebanyak RM 368,600.00 dalam tempoh setahun daripada tarikh Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama.” [47] Perbualan WhatsApp antara Plaintif dan Defendan di Ekshibit N-1 Afidavit Jawapan Plaintif: [48] Perjanjian Penyelesaian Kedua dalam tulisan tangan Defendan tersebut adalah seperti berikut: - “…I, Abdul Munaf b. Sultan (740126-02-5267) hereby agree to the new terms as below: 1st schedule : RM 200,000.00 (Two hundred thousand Date : 1st February 2017 or before 2nd schedule : RM 168,600 (hundred sixty eight thousand, six hundred) : To be continued after completion of the first payment. The agreed interest to be paid with the last payment. This shall supercede the previous schedule.” [49] Perbualan WhatsApp antara Plaintif dan Defendan di Ekshibit N-1 Afidavit Jawapan Plaintif untuk perjumpaan yang menghasilkan Perjanjian Penyelesaian Kedua: [50] Merujuk kepada terma-terma Perjanjian-perjanjian Penyelesaian dan kesemua Ekshibit yang dikemukakan dalam kes ini dan dinyatakan di atas, Mahkamah telah menelitinya dan berpendapat bahawa tidak terdapat kewujudan unsur paksaan dalam menandatangani kedua-dua Perjanjian Penyelesaian. [51] Sebagai penjelasan, antaranya merujuk kepada “Ekshibit N-1” di Afidavit Jawapan Plaintif, Defendan telah mendapat perkhidmatan peguam dalam meneliti Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama dan susulan itu membuat perbincangan masa dengan Plaintif yang menghasilkan Perjanjian Penyelesaian Kedua. [52] Mahkamah bersetuju dengan hujahan Plaintif bahawa pembelaan unsur paksaan Defendan adalah satu pembelaan yang berbentuk pemikiran terkemudian dalam keadaan terdesak (desperate afterthought) memandangkan isu tersebut hanya berbangkit pada tahap pemfailan pembelaan Defendan walaupun Defendan sebenarnya mempunyai banyak peluang dan tempoh yang cukup panjang untuk membangkitkan isu ini sekiranya benar sejak dari kemasukan Perjanjian Penyelesaian Pertama sehinggalah pembayaran RM 150,000.00 dan sebelum pemfailan tindakan Writ Plaintif. [53] Mahkamah merujuk kepada kes Pembinaan Emaskami Sdn Bhd v Hakikat Engineering Sdn Bhd [2019] MLJU 367 di mana hakim Mahkamah Tinggi telah memutuskan seperti berikut:- “[47] I agree with the Plaintiff that based on all the above contemporaneous documentary evidence i.e the Settlement Agreement, letters, payments, statements of account and coupled with the absence of any evidence of protest over a period of 3 years by the Defendant, there is no reason to doubt the validity of the Settlement Agreement signed by Defendant. [48] Indeed the Defendant would be estopped from contending otherwise. On the balance of probabilities I could find not a trace of any evidence of fraud, coercion or duress on the part of the Plaintiff or their dramatis personae in PW 3 and PW4.” [54] Mahkamah juga merujuk kepada Baoning Mineral Sdn Bhd v Magna Alliance (M) Sdn Bhd & Anor [2022] MLJU 175 di mana Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi memutuskan seperti berikut: - “The lateness supports the conclusion that it was never a genuine complaint to begin with… .... If it is true that the second defendant entered into the Agreement as a result of duress, it is improbable that the second defendant would years later enter into another agreement to recognise its position as guarantor under the very Agreement it seeks to impugn. The second defendant's allegation of duress is inconsistent with its own conduct and inherently improbable. The allegation is, in my view, a desperate afterthought and is not a triable issue.” [55] Tuntutan Plaintif adalah berdasarkan perjanjian-perjanjian yang telah dimasuki oleh kedua-dua pihak di mana dokumen-dokumen berkenaannya telah dikemukakan dalam afidavit-afidavit Plaintif tersebut. Permohonan Plaintif merupakan permohonan yang teratur dan disokong oleh dokumen-dokumen yang sah dan berkuat kuasa. [56] Pembelaan yang dikemukakan oleh Defendan tersebut adalah tidak bermerit dan hanya percubaan lemah Defendan untuk menghalang tuntutan Plaintif. Plaintif adalah berhak untuk memfailkan permohonan untuk Penghakiman Terus setelah Pembelaan yang tidak bermerit tersebut difailkan oleh Defendan. [57] Dalam kes Tan Tai Bian v Tan Shiau Yieng (Berniaga Sebagai 'Intelligent Wealth Solutions') [2021] MLJU 2974 di mana Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi telah memutuskan seperti berikut: - “[34] As such, given this Court's rejection of coercion and duress being a possible defence, it must necessarily mean that it is not a triable issue. The Defendant's attack on the foundation of the Settlement Agreement is therefore dismissed.” [58] Defendan tidak mempunyai apa-apa pembelaan yang bermerit dan bona fide terhadap tuntutan Plaintif ini. Defendan juga gagal membangkitkan sebarang isu-isu bona fide yang harus dibicarakan. Defendan hanya membangkitkan isu-isu yang tidak relevan dan sengaja diada-adakan bagi melepaskan diri daripada membayar hutang Plaintif. [59] Dalam kes Yinson Corporation Sdn Bhd v Perfect Mix Portfolio Sdn Bhd & Ors [2021] MLJU 184 di mana Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi telah memutuskan seperti berikut:- “[32] In my view, the averments by the Second Defendant were unsubstantiated and amounted to bare allegations. [33] It is important to bear in mind that bare averments do not render an issue triable. These averments must be looked at in the context of the affidavit evidence to determine if those averments are specific, precise and consistent. [34] This was clarified by of Lord Ackner LJ in Banque Paris v. de Naray [1984] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 23, where he had stated: It is trite law that O. 14 proceedings are only decided by weighing the two affidavits. It is also trite law the mere assertion in an affidavit of a given situation which is to be the basis of a defence does not, ipso facto, give leave to defend; the Court must look at the whole situation and ask itself whether the defendant has satisfied the Court that there is a fair or reasonable probability of the defendant's having a real or bona fide defence.[Emphasis added.] [35] Based on contemporaneous documentary evidence before me, it was my finding that the Second Defendant's averments taken in totality, were unsubstantiated. Reference on this point may be made to Bank Negara Malaysia v Moltd Ismail & Ors [1992] 1 CLJ 14, wltere Mohd Azmi SCJ had stated: Under an O 14 application, the duty of a judge does not end as soon as a fact is asserted by one party, and denied or disputed by the other in an affidavit. Where such assertion, denial or dispute is equivocal, or lacking in precision or is inconsistent with undisputed contemporary documents or other statements by the same deponent, or is inherently improbable in itself, then the judge has a duty to reject such assertion or denial, thereby rendering the issue not triable. In our opinion, unless this principle is adhered to, a judge is in no position to exercise his discretion judicially in an O 14 application. Thus, apart from identifying the issues of fact or law, the court must go one step further and determine whether they are triable. This principle is sometimes expressed by the statement that a complete defence need not be shown. The defence set up need only show that there is a triable issue.” [60] Dalam mengguna pakai prinsip kes Yinson Corporation (supra), Mahkamah bersetuju dengan hujahan pihak Plaintif bahawa kenyataan kosong (bare statement) bukan merupakan satu isu yang perlu dibicarakan. Adalah jelas terbukti bahawa Defendan tidak mempunyai pembelaan dan/atau isu-isu untuk dibicarakan dengan hanya berlandaskan kepada kenyataan kosong (bare statement) yang dinyatakan dalam Afidavit Balasan pihak Defendan. KESIMPULAN [61] Bagi permohonan ini, Mahkamah mendapati Plaintif telah berjaya membuktikan kes ini amat jelas untuk penghakiman terus di bawah Aturan 14 Kaedah 1 KKM 2012. Oleh sebab itu, berdasarkan alasan-alasan di atas, Mahkamah membenarkan permohonan Plaintif pada [Lampiran 7] ini dengan kos sebanyak RM 3,000.00 yang dibayar oleh Defendan kepada Plaintif. Mahkamah hanya membenarkan tuntutan faedah sebagaimana item (c) Lampiran 7 dan bukannya sebagaimana item (b). Disediakan oleh: WAN NOR AKLIMA BINTI WAN SALLEH Hakim, Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur Bertarikh: 13 Ogos 2024 PIHAK-PIHAK Peguam cara Pihak Plaintif: Encik Khaw Chern Wei Jonathan bersama-sama Cik Nurqueen Shazzadinie Binti Wirakarnain [Tetuan Chern & Co.] Peguam cara Pihak Defendan: Cik Nur Syazwina Binti Md Azaham bersama-sama Cik Palanimmah a/p Mutu [Tetuan Kumar Chambers]