KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 4): The Syariah Court of Appeal today ordered for the committal proceedings sought by Naza Group executive chairman Datuk SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin against lawmaker Maria Chin Abdullah to proceed.

A three-member bench, led by led by Justice Mohd Amran Mohd Zain, dismissed Maria’s application for an extension of time to challenge the Syariah High Court's decision to grant leave to Faizal to initiate the proceedings.

“The court ordered her to show cause in the committal proceedings at the Syariah High Court without further delay,” Faisal’s lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader  told theedgemarkets.com.

The Syariah Court of appeal judges which included Justices Othman Ibrahim and Datuk Mohd Shakir Abdul Hamid, also ordered Maria to pay Faisal RM6,000 in costs.

Akberdin appeared with senior counsel Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah and Dr Rafie Mohd Shafie for Faisal, while counsel Nurul Hafidzah and Hafidzal Parcho represented Maria.

Faisal had filed an application to obtain the Syariah High Court’s leave to initiate the contempt proceedings against Maria for issuing a statement criticising the court’s decision made in September 2019.

On Oct 15 last year, Maria was ordered by the court to answer the contempt charge made against her by Faisal.

The Petaling Jaya MP had questioned the Court’s decision to impose a jail sentence against Faisal’s ex-wife Emilia Hanafi.

The court had ordered Emilia to be jailed seven days for not abiding by the visitation rights given to their father for their three children, and rescheduling those visits on her own.

Maria, a former Bersih 2.0 chairperson, had questioned the jail sentence imposed on Emilia, whose punishment had been deferred pending her appeal to the Syariah Court of Appeal, which is the final level of appeal in the syariah court system. Pending her appeal, Emilia was granted bail of RM5,000.

The issue arose after the lawmaker issued a press statement entitled “Emilia Faisal Hanifi’s sentencing proves injustice against Muslim women still exists in the legal system”.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/maria-chin-told-answer-contempt-charge-syariah-high-court