KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 ― The son of former Sarawak chief minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud today accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and several others of colluding with his ex-wife and her lawyers in a “global politically-motivated” conspiracy to tarnish his father’s reputation.

When taking the stand in his divorce trial this afternoon, Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir said in a prepared statement to the court that the ongoing case has been hijacked for this purpose.

He named his ex-wife Shahnaz Abdul Majid, her lawyers, whistleblower website Sarawak Report, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and Anwar as co-conspirators in the so-called political ploy against his father and their family.

“What was supposed to be a private matter in divorce maintenance claims before the courts was blown up into a global attack and slander to change the political landscape of Sarawak,” he told the Kuala Lumpur Shariah High Court.

Abu Bekir justified the link to Anwar in the alleged smear campaign against his family by singling out Shahnaz’s counsel, Dr Rafie Mohd Shafie, whom he claimed is a close associate of the opposition leader.

Rafie, who was present at the trial, objected to Abu Bekir’s claim, arguing that his relationship with Anwar has no bearing on the case at hand.

“That has nothing to do with what is going on here. You as the defendant, you must answer the questions,” the lawyer told Abu Bekir, while asking Shariah High Court judge Muhamad Abdul Karim Wahab to reconsider the admissibility of the prepared statement.

Despite the objections, Abu Bekir was allowed to continue reading his statement in which he fired at Sarawak Report and its founder Claire Rewcastle-Brown, the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) and PAS-controlled paper Harakah Daily for running a concerted campaign to discredit his father who is now Sarawak governor, and his family.

Abu Bekir also accused his ex-wife and her legal team of using private investigator Cullen Johnson and his wife Elaine White to fabricate bank documents to support Shahnaz’s claim that he had stashed US$700 million in 111 offshore accounts in eight countries.

Repeatedly describing Johnson and White as fraudsters who have been convicted of money laundering, tax evasion and fraud, Abu Bekir went on to argue that Shahnaz has been unable to produce witnesses from any of the international banks to support her claim.

“The reason why my wife and her team have not been able to produce any witnesses from the international arena is simply because the offshore bank accounts do not exist. They are forgeries.

“It saddens me that my divorce, which is painful enough for all, should have been hijacked by politicians and activists, and used to disseminate falsehoods under the cover of this respected court,” he said.

Shahnaz is currently locked in a bitter legal tussle to claim RM100 million in mutaah, or conciliatory gift, from Bekir after their divorce in 2011.

Shahnaz, the sister of popular singer Datuk Sheila Majid, has also separately filed a RM300 million claim for matrimonial assets division, and RM200 million in child maintenance which includes a RM60 million terrace house in London, two Aston Martin luxury cars valued at RM5.5 million and a RM40 million trust fund, and a claim for half of Abu Bekir’s assets.

The trial resumes on September 8, with Abu Bekir to continue his testimony.