SINGAPORE : Former opposition figure J B Jeyaretnam on Monday got what is known as a "conditional discharge from bankruptcy" from the Court of Appeal.
This means he will be in the clear, as long as he pays up the full amount owed to creditors within three weeks.
The amount he owes is S$233,255.
Mr Jeyaretnam had been declared bankrupt in 2001.
He was not able to pay creditors after being hit by a series of defamation lawsuits in 1996 and 1997, including one by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Mr Jeyaretnam subsequently lost his seat as a Non-Constituency MP in Parliament.
He was back in the Court of Appeal to try and close that final chapter and be discharged from bankruptcy.
The court learnt that creditors had agreed to accept 45 percent of what was owed, but just how much money exactly that 45 percent translated into was disputed.
Lawyers for the creditors said it was just under a quarter million dollars but Mr Jeyaretnam argued he should pay about half that amount.
But the Court of Appeal asked both sides to come to an agreement on the amount that should be paid.
After the judgement, lawyers for the creditors said this was the offer they had made all along since last year but Mr Jeyaretnam had disputed the figures.
If it hadn't been for that, the matter could have been settled and Mr Jeyaretnam could have been discharged by now.
As for Mr Jeyaretnam, he said he was thankful for small mercies although the final figure was higher than he had expected.