Boney M founder Maizie Williams ordered to appear in court over €22,000 dispute

Disco legends Boney M's founding member Maizie Williams will have to appear before the Maltese Civil Courts, after a Judge ruled this week that he will be assuming jurisdiction over a case whereby a Maltese registered company is suing her for €22,462.

West Indies-born Maizie Williams - who now resides in London - is being sued in the Civil Courts by Maltese-registered, Russian-run RBSM Boarding School, for a concert in the Ukraine, which never materialised.

RBSM filed a case in February 2011 before the First Hall of the Civil Courts against Williams for accepting a €22,462 payment for a 60-minute New Year's Eve concert by Boney M in Feodosia, Ukraine in 2009, but never showed up on the night.

The Russian language school said in its writ that Williams had taken the payment in London as a deposit for the concert.

Assisted by lawyer Jeremy Debono, Williams has denied having undertaken any contractual obligations with RBSM, and later raised a series of jurisdictional issues by claiming that she was not domiciled in Malta, and had nothing to do with the Maltese registered company.

In handing judgment, Mr Justice Mark Chetcuti ruled that Williams had initially replied to the writ, and only raised issues of jurisdiction a year after being informed about the suit against her.

Mr Justice Chetcuti said that given Williams did not find any objection to the suit being filed in Malta, then there was no reason for the case to be dismissed on grounds of jurisdiction.

She was ordered to foot the expenses of the judgment, and to appear for the next sitting as the case will continue in Malta.