KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — The Shariah Court of Appeal will decide on June 18 Shahnaz Abdul Majid’s appeal against the dismissal of contempt proceedings she sought against her ex-husband Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib in their long-drawn divorce.
The former wife to the son of Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud had in 2011 secured an asset discovery order against Bekir as part of her claim for RM400 million in matrimonial assets and, in 2012, was granted leave to cite him for contempt following his failure to comply.
“The Shariah High Court judge later (in 2013) set aside our application to cite him (Mahmud) for contempt and ruled that the failure of the applicant to explicitly mention the section under which they applied for leave for contempt, is what led the court to dismiss the application.
“But it is superfluous and unnecessary to mention the act under which we sought the permission for,” her lawyer, Akbardin Abdul Kader, said.
Shahnaz had filed her application under Section 151 (1) (aa) of the Shariah Court Civil Procedure (FT) Act 1988 (Act 585) and Section 229 of the same act.
However, Mahmud’s lawyer Datuk Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar argued that Shahnaz should have only filed her application under Section 151 (1) (aa) and not both.
“Section 229 clearly states that it can only be invoked exclusively by the court and not by the parties. Hence, 151 (1) (aa) should have been taken by any party or interested parties to invoke the committal proceedings contended,” he told the court today.
In addition to her claim for RM400 million in assets, Shahnaz is also seeking an additional RM121 million for the maintenance for their son, Raden Murya Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Her almost half a billion ringgit claim also includes a RM100 million for “mutaah” or conciliatory gift.
Shahnaz and Mahmud married on January 9, 1992, when they were both aged 28, and they have a 20-year-old son named Raden Murya.
Mahmud filed for divorce almost two decades later on May 11, 2011.
