The US trip at the heart of WA Labor MP’s court fight over $1 million loan

October 30, 2026 — 1:53pmAn American businessman suing a West Australian Labor MP over an alleged $1 million unpaid loan claims he spent thousands on the politician’s accommodation, a limousine trip and an evening Hudson River cruise past the famous Statue of Liberty.Details of the 2024 trip have been revealed in a lawsuit filed in a New Jersey court by businessman Kannan Amalraj against Riverton MLA Jagadish Krishnan.Riverton MP Jagadish Krishnan (middle) with Kannan Amalraj (left) and another acquaintance, who is not involved either proceeding, on the Hudson River cruise.Amalraj also detailed further hospitality he claims was provided to Krishnan, as well as photographs of the trip, to WAtoday and 9News Perth.On Thursday, Krishnan, who was parliamentary secretary to Premier Roger Cook at the time of the trip, faced questions over whether he met his gift and travel disclosure obligations as a member of WA parliament.Krishnan maintained he did nothing wrong on the US trip and met all his obligations as an MP. He has vowed to “vigorously” defend Amalraj’s lawsuit.According to Members of Parliament (Financial Interests) Act 1992, a gift received by a member must be disclosed if its value exceeds $500, and it is not from a relative.The same rule applies if a travel contribution has been made, but there are exceptions if the trip is related to the MP’s professional background or vocation, and not related to their activities as an MP.The Riverton MP is being sued by Amalraj and his company Kenyan Consulting LLC in a New Jersey court for the alleged unpaid loan of $US655,000 ($1 million).With accrued interest, Amalraj is seeking $1.2 million from Krishnan and his associated family businesses.Howver, Krishnan is countersuing Amalraj and Kenyan Consulting for defamation, with a writ lodged in the WA Supreme Court by the MP’s lawyer Martin Bennett this week.Amalraj alleged the loan was agreed on in two parts. The first oral agreement for $US250,000 was struck over the phone in early May 2024, while the remainder was agreed on in person during Krishnan’s trip to the New York Tri-State area in late May 2024.Amalraj is a wealthy Wall Street banker who has worked for major banks including Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase & Co, and the Bank of America.In an interview with this masthead, Amalraj claimed he and Kenyan Consulting spent about$US5000 on Krishnan’s accommodation, travel and food between May 30 and June 4, 2024.He claimed this included a $US626 luxury car trip, two nights at a $US1000-per-night Airbnb apartment, three nights at a hotel near Times Square, as well as the Bateaux dinner cruise on the Hudson River.Pictures of the pair, with another associate not involved in either court proceeding, show the men enjoying the cruise with the Statue of Liberty in the background.Amalraj alleged in his lawsuit his company arranged for a limousine to collect Krishnan on the morning of May 31, 2024 and take him to the Sherwood Diner in Westport, Connecticut where he said he witnessed Krishnan deliver a fundraising pitch for Spectrum Health, the GP network he partially owned at the time, to another investor in attendance.In the lawsuit, Amalraj alleged Krishnan then visited his home in Short Hill, New Jersey, where he made the pitch again.He claimed Krishnan told him the loan was for Spectrum Health, a GP business the MP was a major shareholder in until this week, when it was sold in a multimillion-dollar deal. In the lawsuit, Amalraj claimed, on the Riverton MP’s advice, the loan was ultimately sent to Codd Technologies Pty Ltd.Codd Technologies is not affiliated with Spectrum Health, but Krishnan’s wife Yaamini Jagadish is the director and sole shareholder.“He gave the brief about his Spectrum Health tech, and then at the end of the day, his intention [seemed to be]: ‘money, money, money, money. I’m in a deep struggle. You know, you lend it, I’ll give you this and that’,” Amalraj told this masthead of their meeting.Krishnan and Amalraj share cultural heritage through their native Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Amalraj said he first met Krishnan in India in 2023.Krishnan did not declare any of the hospitality Amalraj claimed he spent on him during his New York trip in his parliamentary annual returns.In a snap press conference on Thursday afternoon outside his Riverton electorate office, Krishnan rejected any assertion he had not met his obligations as a member of parliament.“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.Riverton MP Dr Jagadish Krishnan at a press conference outside his electorate office.9 News PerthAsked whether it was appropriate for a sitting MP to be engaging in business dealings overseas, he replied: “I was not actively engaged in any business dealings. I was assisting my wife.”He maintained the trip wasn’t parliamentary business. “It was a private trip,” he said.In response to the Kenyan Consulting lawsuit, Krishnan has countersued Amalraj and his wife for defamation over emails they sent to high-profile West Australian politicians including Cook and Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson earlier this year regarding the alleged unpaid loan.Krishnan said he was confident he acted appropriately and stood by the position he’d 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,” he said on Thursday.On Wednesday, Bennett said Krishnan would fight the “baseless” lawsuit, claiming the emails falsely and maliciously defamed him.Bennett 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, which she is the chief executive of.The agreement detailed a 6 per cent per annum interest rate with a repayment period of nine years.Cook said he had been made aware of the US lawsuit in the past week, and declined to comment on Krishnan’s legal fight or whether he should have declared Kenyan Consulting’s hospitality.“What you’re saying to me is one of the parties in this legal action has made some accusations now about hospitality and other gifts, I’m going to leave that up to the courts to decide,” he said.“I require all MPs to uphold the very highest levels of standards that meet both the criteria and guidelines that we work within, but also in terms of community standards, and that applies to everyone.”Hamish Hastie is WAtoday's state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.From our partners