Ex-wife made baseless allegations out of anger, says Taib’s son

Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib told the Shariah High Court today that it did not make sense for his ex-wife to claim that his father, Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud – the former chief minister of Sarawak – was the richest man in Malaysia.

Mahmud Abu Bekir was testifying in the RM100 million muta'ah, or Islamic conciliatory payment, suit by his ex-wife Shahnaz Majid (pic) in her divorce claim against him.

He also testified that Shahnaz's claims against him were wild allegations that arose from her anger.

"Every allegations are caused by her anger and they are either baseless or untrue.

"She even said my father is the richest man in Malaysia, that does not make sense, that is a result of her anger where she is claiming for hundreds of millions, I also do not understand this," he said when questioned by his lawyer Datuk Zainul Rijal today.

Mahmud Abu Bekir also denied Shahnaz's claim that he was the executive chairman of Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad which was involved in businesses and investments worth billions.

"Yes, I am a businessman but I am not the executive chairman of Cahya Mata Sarawak, I am the deputy chairman, and the company is not doing businesses involving billions, that does not make sense, millions maybe yes," he said.

Mahmud Abu Bekir also said that Shahnaz's accountant Andrew Heng was the one that said he had a land bank worth hundreds of millions.

"He did not even see the land, he said there is oil palm and profits, but there is only undergrowth there on the land," he said.

He added that the land was given to his company by the state government in lieu of payment for the bridges built by his company.

"The state government did not have sufficient funds to pay us, so they paid us partly in kind with the land," he told the Shariah Court.

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- TMI