Smitten CEO spent $468,000 on girlfriend, sues her to recover money after breakup

: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The High Court on Sept 9 dismissed the man’s claim that the various sums of money he had spent on his ex-girlfriend were loans that had to be repaid. PHOTO: ST FILE Selina Lum Updated Sep 10, 2026, PM Set as preferred source Listen Summarise The High Court dismissed CEO Chander Agarwal's claim to recover $468,090 spent on his ex-girlfriend, ruling the money was gifted, not loaned. Judge found no evidence the woman agreed to repay or requested the money as loans, despite Agarwal's assertions and a disputed handwritten agreement. Agarwal's conduct and messages showed generosity, and the judge noted the lawsuit stemmed from bitterness after their breakup, with no basis to treat expenses as loans. AI generated SINGAPORE - After breaking up with his girlfriend of more than a year, the chief executive of a listed company sued her to recover $468,090 that he had spent on her during their relationship. On Sept 9, the High Court dismissed Chander Agarwal’s claim that the various sums of money he had spent on his ex-girlfriend, Felicia Lee, were loans that had to be repaid. In a written judgment, Senior Judge Lee Seiu Kin ruled that most of the sums were gifts that the man had willingly given to the woman. These include $206,000 in credit card charges, $129,000 spent for overseas trips, $17,000 to engage a feng shui master for her flat, and $30,000 in fees for a Stanford-NUS executive programme. Agarwal failed to prove he had given two other sums to her, including $50,000 he claimed he had lent her to clear a debt to her former employer, said the judge. The defendant is a former flight attendant, who later worked as an insurance agent and medical sales officer. They met on a flight in 2019. Agarwal later approached Lee on Facebook, and they started meeting up. In September 2022, they began a romantic relationship, which ended in December 2023 after he suspected her of infidelity. He filed the lawsuit filed in March 2024. Even before the relationship started, he gave her numerous lavish gifts without expecting repayment. He once booked a limousine to send her home after dinner, bought her luxury items from brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Prada, and paid almost all her expenses for a Europe tour that they took together. In May 2021, when she said on WhatsApp that it had been years since she last took a plane, Agarwal replied: “Soon soon can fly.