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KUALA LUMPUR : The estranged wife and mother-in-law of a Malaysian prince were ordered Thursday to pay US$1.8 million after alleging he had raped and abused his teenage bride, his lawyer said.
Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, a prince from northern Kelantan state, won the defamation suit by default last November after the two women failed to file a defence.
The prince's lawyer Haaziq Pillay said the High Court on Thursday set the compensation at 6.0 million ringgit (US$1.8 million).
"The court took into account the special circumstances by virtue of the seriousness of the defamation and the high standing of the plaintiff in the society," he told AFP.
The suit was launched after Manohara Odelia Pinot, 18, slipped away from the prince's retinue during a stay in Singapore and returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture.
The lawyer said the 31-year-old prince, whose father is the Sultan of Kelantan, was "happy" with the ruling and would initiate similar legal action against Manohara and her mother in Jakarta where they live.
Manohara's lawyer Farhat Abas told AFP in Jakarta that the teenage model and socialite would "never" pay the compensation.
"This is a cruel verdict," Farhat said. "We will study the verdict first and then file an appeal against the ruling."
Divorce proceedings are still pending in a religious court to dissolve the 2008 marriage.
- AFP/ir
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