Riverton MP declares he’s done nothing wrong as he faces US lawsuit over alleged unpaid debt

West Australian Labor MP Jagadish Krishnan says he acted appropriately at all times and will fight a lawsuit in the US alleging he has not paid back a $1 million loan to a New York businessman.

Krishnan faced media outside his Riverton electorate office on Thursday afternoon, reading a statement and taking several questions before being whisked back into his office by a staff member as those questions became heated.

It comes after WAtoday and 9News Perth revealed on Wednesday that Krishnan was being sued in the US over a $1 million loan extended after he travelled to America in May 2024 to raise money for GP network Spectrum Health.

The Labor MP was a major shareholder in the business until its multimillion-dollar sale this week.

Kannan Amalraj and his company, Kenyan Consulting LLC, filed a lawsuit in a New Jersey court on October 20 accusing Krishnan of “unjustly enriching” himself by not paying back the loan in the agreed timeframe.

Krishnan vowed to fight the lawsuit and launched defamation proceedings against Amalraj in the WA Supreme Court this week.

During his snap press conference, Krishnan said the case was a live legal matter, and he was limited in his capacity to answer questions.

“I can confirm I am engaged in a commercial legal dispute that I am taking action over, and I’ll vigorously defend my position in court,” he said.

“I’m confident I have acted appropriately, and I stand by the position I’ve taken.

“I understand there’s interest in this matter, but given it’s now before the courts, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go into details or comment on the claims.”

Krishnan said he was committed to representing Riverton, and his focus was on delivering for the electorate.

Amalraj’s lawsuit included allegations he paid for a limousine during Krishnan’s visit to the US in May 2024.

Amalraj claimed to this masthead he paid for other things on Krishnan’s trip, including accommodation and a dinner cruise on the Hudson River.

Krishnan did not declare any gifts on his MP’s annual return for 2023-24, and, when asked on Thursday why that hospitality was not declared, Krishnan said on several occasions that because it was linked to his legal matter he was unable to comment.

When pressed, he said he was “confident I’ve done everything appropriate”.

“I’ve done everything appropriately in my declarations. My personal declarations have been done appropriately. I’m confident I’ve done the appropriate thing,” he said.

Asked whether it was it appropriate for a sitting MP to be engaging in business dealings, he replied: “I was not actively engaged in any business dealings. I was assisting my wife.”

“It wasn’t parliamentary business. It was a private trip,” he said.

Krishnan said he would not step down while the court cases progressed.

In his lawsuit, Amalraj claimed there was an oral agreement between Krishnan and himself that the loan would be settled within a year while generating interest at 8 per cent per annum.

The money from Amalraj was transferred to Codd Technologies Pty Ltd, a company the Labor MP’s wife is the sole director and shareholder of.

In response to questions from this masthead earlier this week, Krishnan’s lawyer Martin Bennett said the lawsuit filed in New Jersey would be “fully defended” and shared a copy of the loan agreement signed by Krishnan’s wife, Yaamini Jagadish, as a director of Codd Technologies, and Amalraj’s wife Gokila on behalf of Kenyan Consulting.

The agreement detailed a 6 per cent per annum interest rate with a repayment period of nine years.

Bennett filed a writ in the WA Supreme Court this week, accusing Amalraj of defaming his client in emails sent to high-profile figures including Premier Roger Cook and Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.

The writ filed in WA’s Supreme Court named Amalraj and Gokila as defendants and claimed the emails “falsely and maliciously defamed” Krishnan.

Krishnan is seeking damages and an injunction to stop the couple repeating their claims.

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