King”s plane detained in Canada in debt dispute

Swaziland King Mswati III’s official plane has been detained in Canada for the second time in two years due to a debt dispute, according to Canadian court documents. Singaporean entrepreneur Shanmuga Rethenam, a former business partner of Mswati, detained the plane this month through Canadian courts in his latest bid to freeze the king’s foreign […]

Swaziland King Mswati III’s official plane has been detained in Canada for the second time in two years due to a debt dispute, according to Canadian court documents.
Singaporean entrepreneur Shanmuga Rethenam, a former business partner of Mswati, detained the plane this month through Canadian courts in his latest bid to freeze the king’s foreign assets as he tries to claim nearly $8 million he says he is owed.
Swaziland government spokesman Percy Simelane on Wednesday noted the king has said he does not owe money to Rethenam, adding he could not go into details because the matter is before the courts.
On May 5, a Toronto court ordered Mswati’s McDonnell Douglas DC-9-87 to be confined to the Canadian province of Ontario, where it has been serviced by a local firm, according to legal files.