Shahnaz A Majid told the Kuala Lumpur Syariah High Court today that she did not know that her former husband, who is the Sarawak chief minister’s son, was married to an Australian woman in 1999.

Shahnaz, 50, during cross-examination by lawyer Saadiah Din representing Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, was quizzed on whether she knew the woman called Louise Aida Hiley was her former husband’s wife.

Abu Bekir was said to have brought Hiley to his sister’s wedding in that year.

“I did not know it then, whether my husband was married before they attended the wedding.

“I have no knowledge of their wedding,” she said in reply to Saadiah.

Shahnaz had testified during examination-in-chief by her lawyers last year that she felt humiliated on seeing Abu Bekir bringing an Australian woman to her wedding and ignoring her, despite she being his legal wife.

Abu Bekir is also married to a Russian woman.

The witness also said that Hiley met her son Raden Murya when they (Shahnaz and her son) were in Singapore two or three years ago, and said at that time Hiley brought a child with her and suggested that Abu Bekir could have fathered the child.

“So they could have been married,” she replied.

Consulted the KL Syariah Court

Testifying in her mutaah proceeding (a gift for ex-wife after divorce), Shahnaz ( right ) also told the court that as they were living apart from 2001, she had sought consultation on her predicament at the KL Syariah Court between 2006 and 2007 and underwent counselling sessions.

She also told the court that she referred her predicament to a lawyer in 2003.

When asked by Saadiah whether both of them did not do anything to finalise the divorce, the witness disagreed.

“It is his responsibility also, as I have waited so long. We did discuss, but I do not want to engage much for fear of being accused as menderhaka (being unfaithful/treason) to him,” Shahnaz said.

The witness said that between 2001 and 2011, Abu Bekir would return and spend several hours at her present house in Bukit Damansara, and would disappear and come back months later to see their son.

When at the house, she said, he would switch on the television or take an afternoon nap and at most, he would spend five hours at her house.

Prior to staying in Bukit Damansara, she stayed at their matrimonial home in Wisma Mahmud in Demak Jaya.

Monthly payments stopped

Shahnaz, who is a sister to jazz queen Sheila Majid, also told the court that she received a monthly payment from her husband when they were living apart between 2001 and 2011.

However, she said the money stopped coming to her and her son in August 2011.

“From 2001 to 2006, I received RM7,000 monthly and from 2007 it was RM10,000, and from 2008 to August 2011 it was further increased to RM12,000.

“However, following our divorce in May 2011 and after my eddah (three months after divorce ended) that was in August, the payment stopped coming until today,” she said.

Shahnaz also told the court that she was an alternate director for Cahaya Mata Sarawak and several other companies, including Sarawak Securities, CMS Mezzanine Sdn Bhd, Sarawak Securities Unit Trust, and various subsidiaries with Sarawak Securities.

“I am still a director in Sarawak Capital (Sdn Bhd) along with my former husband, from 1994 till today,” she said.

Shahnaz also told the court that she has three cars as being a director of Sarawak Capital. These were a jeep, a Mercedes and a BMW S3 sports utility vehicle.

She also said between 2001 and 2011, she and her son spent a vacation, once in Turkey and in Damascus, with the expenses borne by Abu Bekir.

Saadiah appears with Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar while Shahnaz is represented by Akbardin Abdul Kader and Rafie Mohd Shafie.