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Phone dating company Sintel struck off | Stuff.co.nz

Phone dating company Sintel struck off

Last updated 14:45 01/03/2010

Phone dating company Sintel has been struck off the companies register, six months after its liquidators finalised a $2.1 million out-of-court settlement with Telecom over unpaid debts. Sintel liquidator Meltzer Mason Heath had lodged a $61m claim against Telecom, which it accused of failing to pass on payments from Korean Telecom for its service, which charged Koreans US$2 (NZ$2.90) a minute to hear recorded dating messages and visit a chat room. None of the settlement money found its way to regular Sintel creditors. A liquidator's report said the payout was consumed by lawyers' fees, bank fees, tax and a $1m pay-out to professional lenders who helped fund the litigation. The High Court at Auckland is due to hear a dispute between Telecom and a separate adult phone service provider, Asia Pacific Telecommunications, in June. Hong Kong-owned APT is suing Telecom for US$17m plus unquantified damages. APT leased phone numbers in Tuvalu that were used for "audio text" services advertised in men's magazines. Most calls terminated in Wellington. It accused Telecom of a lack of fiduciary duty. - Fairfax NZ News

www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3389843/Phone-dating-company-Sintel-struck-off

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