MU, OHEC to meet for repayment of debt after court order in Dolrudee case
MAHIDOL UNIVERSITY (MU) and the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) will meet to file a debt repayment request in two months in the case involving former MU dentistry lecturer Dolrudee Jumlongras.
This follows the absolute receivership order issued by the Central Bankruptcy Court on Monday against Dolrudee, who has allegedly violated the terms of her Master’s and PhD scholarship and now works at Harvard University in the US.
Courts of Justice spokesman Suebpong Sripongkul yesterday said the receivership order would prevent Dolrudee from doing anything with her assets except through the appointed receiver.
Suebpong said it was issued in Dolrudee’s absence on grounds she did not have any assets in Thailand to be impounded.
Dolrudee – who is not yet a bankrupt person pending further legal proceedings – now has seven days to meet the appointed receiver and explain herself, Suebpong said.
If she does not respond, the receiver would call a meeting of the creditors to discuss how to manage her assets, whether the debt could be settled, or if the court’s order for Dolrudee’s bankrupt-person status were needed, he said.
After that, the creditors – MU and OHEC – had two months to file the debt repayment request to the court, which would decide if the money owed would be repaid fully or partially to each creditor.
The key procedure was an open trial of the debtor – for which a warrant to summon Dolrudee would be issued so she could explain herself.
If she still failed to show up, an arrest warrant could be issued, he said.
If there were no debt settlement, the court would rule Dolrudee a bankrupt person and her assets would be sold to repay the creditors.
MU had filed a lawsuit against Dolrudee and her four guarantors in the Administrative Court for settlement of the debt in October 2004.
The court ruled in favour of the university in February 2006.
Although the guarantors had paid back the debt’s principal amount totalling Bt8 million, Dolrudee must pay back the scholarship cost plus a fine and a 7.5 per cent annual interest totalling Bt30 million.
MU and the OHEC sued her last December, requesting the absolute receivership order and the bankruptcy status.