Published: Saturday November 28, 2009 MYT 4:09:00 PM
Shahrizat: AG to look into ways to get back boy taken away by Belgian dad
By NURBAITI HAMDAN
SEGAMBUT: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has sought legal advice from the Attorney-General on the case of Ferris Mokhtar van de Ven, a six-year-old boy believed to have been whisked away to Belgium by his own father.
Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail would look into legal implications and the best method to help Ferris’ Malaysian mother Elis Syuhaila Mokhtar in bringing the child home.
Elis Syuhaila, who was married to a Dutch man, had secured a custodial order from the Shah Alam Syariah High Court for her son.
“The case is complicated as it involves a lot of legal procedures. Therefore, we’ve requested Abdul Gani’s help to see how the Government can bring back the child in accordance to the Syariah Court’s orders,” she said.
Shahrizat said that Elis Syuhaila had asked for the Ministry’s help but the Ministry had no jurisdiction over the matter.
“Abdul Gani is very concerned about cases like this, cases that involve two sets of legal systems as well as the Syariah law.
“We must know that the Syariah law is no less important than the civil law. We’ll wait for his advice,” she told press members at a Hari Raya Aidiladha event organised by Kepong Wanita Umno at Surau Mahmudiah here Saturday.
Shahrizat also advised Malaysian women to “know the risk” of marrying foreign citizens.
“Malaysian women need to know their rights in the country and also in the husband’s country of origin if the marriage fails especially when it comes to children’s custody,” she said.
On the proposed amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1967, Shahrizat said she had ordered the Ministry’s legal advisers to study the proposal.
“I don’t think law is the problem. It is only the application that sometimes is not ‘suitable’ . I will wait for the report from the legal advisers,” she said.
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