A Shariah Appeal Court in Kuala Lumpur has ordered Mahmud
Bekir to pay RM30 million (C$9.4 million) for “mutaah” or conciliatory gifts to
his former wife, Shahnaz Majid. Bekir is the son of Taib Mahmud, the governor
of the state of Sarawak, and younger brother to Jamilah Taib, Chair of Ottawa’s
Sakto Corp.
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| Abu Bekir Taib |
The appeal court in Malaysia upheld a 2016 ruling, with the
judge saying that “there is no error
under Islamic law and principles made by our Shariah High Court colleague in
awarding the RM30 million.”
The court proceedings were notable for revealing some of the
unsavoury aspect of Sharia law. Bekir’s lawyers claimed he found out his wife
was not a virgin on their wedding night, and that according to Sharia law this would
then be a mitigating factor with regard to compensation. The judge subsequently
allowed Bekir’s lawyers to include this information in their submission, but to
no avail.
