KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The son of Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud said today that his estranged wife was trying to punish him by claiming over half a billion ringgit from him in their divorce.

When testifying at his divorce trial at the Shariah High Court here today, Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir said his estranged wife Shahnaz Abdul Majid had filed a RM100 million claim in mutaah, or conciliatory gift, which is currently being contested in court as well as RM121 million in child maintenance and RM300 million for matrimonial asset division.

“Looking at her claims, she wants to punish me,” Abu Bekir told the court.

“I think she was told lies in order to come up with such a huge and unreasonable sum,” he added.

Abu Bekir said the RM121 million maintenance for their 20-year-old son could buy a doctorate.

“I know there are some parties who say our family is rich because of corruption. It’s all lies and political games,” said the son of billionaire Taib.

Abu Bekir stressed that the “big figures” in his bank accounts that were revealed during the course of the trial did not exist.

“I feel defamed when they say I’m valued at billions with bank accounts everywhere like Switzerland,” he said.

Abu Bekir also said his estranged wife used to get bonuses totaling a year’s salary when times were good at a company called Sarawak Securities Sdn Bhd, where she had worked at from 1993 to 1998 and pocketed a monthly salary of RM9,000.

He added that Shahnaz did not contribute towards their household expenses.

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.