KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The Shariah Court of Appeal permitted today the son of Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud to review a lower court decision that had dismissed the tycoon’s bid to strike out his ex-wife’s RM121 million child maintenance claim.

Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir’s lawyer Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar said the Shariah High Court had dismissed his client’s application that was made on grounds that the couple’s 21-year-old son, Raden Murya Abdul Taib Mahmud, was aged above 18 and hence, should file his own maintenance claim.

“Today, the Court of Appeal said we can review,” Zainul Rijal told reporters after the hearing at the Shariah Court of Appeal here today.

The date of review has yet to be set after the court verdict by a three-man panel headed by Datuk Mahammed Ibrahim, including Datuk Muhammad Asri Abdullah and Datuk Yusof Musa.

Mahmud testified at his divorce trial last September that his estranged wife, Shahnaz Abdul Majid, was trying to punish him by claiming over half a billion ringgit from him in their divorce.

The governor's son said she 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.