KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The estranged ex-wife of Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Abdul Taib, son of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (picture), told the Syariah High Court today that her husband had fathered a child with his Australian mistress outside their rocky marriage some years ago.

Shahnaz A. Majid, who was speaking at the retrial of her RM400 million divorce case against Mahmud Abu Bekir, said her husband of two decades had even brought the Australian woman and another Russian woman to family gatherings when they were still partners.

According to news portal The Malaysian Insider, Shahnaz also told the court she was informed of her husband’s relationship with the Australian mistress at the time and knew of the couple’s son Adam.

“He took her to his younger brother’s wedding in 2000 or 2001 in Kuching. Her name is Louise Hiley. I’m not sure if they were married but they have a son called Adam,” the 50-year-old sister of popular singer Datuk Sheila Majid was quoted as saying.

She later added that Hiley and Mahmud Abu Bekir have since separated and Adam is with his mother.

“We were happy in the early stage of our marriage, but that didn’t last long. After a while our marriage was on the rocks as a result of Mahmud’s irresponsible behaviour.

“We eventually divorced and I had to face a lot of problems as he was hot tempered and violent,” she was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insider.

Shahnaz also reportedly alleged in the courtroom that after Hiley, Mahmud Abu Bekir married a Russian woman called Elena Vasilenko.

“I read about it in an article in a magazine called The Peak in September 2010. He gave an interview to the magazine and had acknowledged that the Russian woman was his wife.

“He once came with the woman to our home and took our son out. I did not know then that they were married,” she was quoted as saying.

The trial resumes next Tuesday.

In her divorce papers, Shahnaz, who holds an MBA in finance, is seeking some RM400 million in divorce settlement, including matrimonial property and “mutaah” (Islamic conciliatory payment), as well as half the assets owned by her ex-husband, including some seven luxury cars, thousands of hectares of land in Sarawak, homes in countries abroad and shares in about 15 companies.

According to previous media reports, Shahnaz had sought to end the marriage in accordance with the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984, citing her husband’s allege failure to give her “nafkah batin” (conjugal rights) since 2001.

She has also claimed abuse by her husband, both physically and verbally, causing her mental and emotional stress.

The couple were married on January 9, 1992, and have an 18-year-old son, Raden Murya Taib Mahmud.

Earlier this year, the Syariah Appeal Court ordered the retrial of the divorce case after finding that the hearing for the “mutaah” had not been conducted according to procedure.

The case has cast a spotlight on the wealth shared by the Taib family, which has been under the close scrutiny of graftbusters and whistleblowers.

Last December, a witness from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) told the court that Mahmud Abu Bekir has amassed some RM1.3 million in savings and about 400,000 units in trust funds.

Prior to that, Shahnaz had also previously testified that her husband was worth more than a staggering RM1 billion.