Woman sues brother for $10,000 in dispute over adoption. She claims:
WHAT began as a gesture between brother and sister 17 years ago has turned into a civil suit over $10,000.
Ili (centre) with her biological parents, looking at her albums pictures. She is holding an old photo of herself with her biological sister.
And the case will be heard next week after an unsuccessful attempt at mediation.
At the centre of the suit is a 17-year-old girl and the question of whether her natural father should pay his sister the $10,000 for raising her for 15 years.
Mr Mahfudz Ismail, now 50, agreed to give his third child to his then-childless sister for adoption as soon as she was born.
But two years ago, the daughter, Ili Rozanna, returned to her natural parents after a quarrel with her foster mother.
SO HAPPY
The warehouse assistant and his wife, Madam Rozaini Rahmat, 46, were happy to have their daughter back and received her with open arms.
Soon after this, they formally adopted her again.
But Mr Mahfudz's younger sister, Madam Khadijah Ismail, who's in her 40s, felt she deserved to be compensated for raising a child she had called her own for 15 years.
The dispute between brother and sister escalated to a civil suit, as Madam Khadijah prepares to take her brother to court for a sum of $10,000 - what is labelled in legal documents as 'reimbursement' for bringing Ili up.
In her court papers, Madam Khadijah alleged that her brother had agreed to pay the money two years ago in exchange for her relinquishing her status as Ili's legal parent.
She claims she signed Ili's care back to her biological parents based on that agreement, but till now has yet to receive the money.
A Family Court mediation failed to settle the dispute and the suit will be heard in court next week.
The falling-out began after midnight on 21 Jun 2005, when Ili, then 15, decided to run away from Madam Khadijah's house in Choa Chu Kang.
She made a police report two days later, in which she claimed she 'could not stand my adoptive mother's behaviour'.
Ili apparently found out about her natural parents when she was still a child when relatives accidentally revealed that Madam Rozaini was Ili's real mother.
From a young age, she also kept a close relationship with her biological family, staying overnight at their home several times.
Madam Khadijah, who has since divorced Ili's adoptive father, now lives with her adopted son, now 19, and two young biological children with her second husband.
Unhappy with what she thought of as overly strict behaviour on Madam Khadijah's part, Ili waited till her adoptive mother had gone to bed before taking a taxi to Mr Mahfutz's Woodlands flat.
POLICE REPORT
In a police report Madam Rozaini made two days later, she said she only knew Ili had run away at about 5am that day.
Ili is now a part-time administrative assistant who's thinking of re-taking her O-Levels.
Mr Mahfutz's sister had apparently asked for $15,000 initially in exchange for giving up Ili.
A letter from Madam Khadijah's lawyer dated 27 Feb 2006 stated that 'our client had in fact requested for $15,000, a compensation for the expenses incurred in raising the child'.
It added that Mr Mahfutz had 'counter-proposed that he pay the sum of $10,000'.
Mr Mahfutz's first lawyer, who drew up Madam Khadijah's consent to the adoption order, had included the line: 'I am willing to accept $10,000 from my brother as payment (reimbursement) for the expenses I had incurred for the past 15 years in raising the child'.
But Mr Mahfutz later changed lawyers, and his second lawyer wrote back in reply that 'there was no agreement to pay' the sum.
He claimed that the line was a 'unilateral demand' and did not amount to an agreement by both parties.
WANTED PAYMENT
In a summary of disputes submitted to the court, it is stated that Madam Khadijah would not have consented to the re-adoption if her brother had not agreed to pay her $10,000.
It added: 'It is (her) case that she had taken care of the child for 15 years. She had given the sum of $3,000 to (Mr Mahfutz) at the time she adopted the child.
'It is only right that (he) should compensate her for the expenses incurred by her and the effort expanded by her in caring for the child.'
It is Mr Mahfutz's case that his sister 'did not want the child anymore... Her demand for payment (which was not agreed) came much later'.
In addition, Mr Mahfutz argued that since Madam Khadijah was Ili's legal parent before the re-adoption proceedings, she had no basis for claiming any compensation for looking after Ili.
taken :
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...37704,00.html? 
He agreed to pay for return of daughter 
why should money come into the picture?
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