Syamsul Yusof revealed this while filing a nusyuz (disobedience) application against his first wife at Syariah Court. Photo: mStar
Actor-director Syamsul Yusof – who has kept mostly quiet about his marital issues despite it being a public matter – has finally revealed something personal to the press.
He claimed that his first wife Puteri Sarah Liyana had been unfaithful in their marriage and was in contact with her college sweetheart. He added that this person is a married man.
Syamsul said that he’s revealing this as the reason for filing a nusyuz (disobedience) application at the Gombak Lower Syariah Court on Tuesday (March 21) against Puteri Sarah.
The 38-year-old was at the Lower Syariah Court accompanied by his lawyer, Azmi Mohd Rais. The reporters met him at the premise after he put in the application at around 3pm.
The Mat Kilau director also told the media that he couldn’t accept that his wife was unfaithful and he had been reluctant to reveal this information.
“As a husband, I have kept my feelings hidden and have been embarrassed to talk about this. No husband can accept that his wife had been unfaithful, and with a married man no less,” Syamsul said, as reported by mStar – The Star’s Malay-language portal.
Meanwhile, news portal Harian Metro quoted him saying: "Perhaps my mistake was in keeping quiet all these while until my own parents are condemning me. I am not saying this now to get back at Sarah."
His lawyer also said that one of the reasons Syamsul is filing the nusyuz application is due to Puteri Sarah leaving their marital home without her husband’s consent since October 2020, and then not adhering to that nusyuz notice.
Syamsul further claimed that Puteri Sarah had been making false accusations about him hitting her and not providing financial support for the family.
He told Harian Metro: "I was shocked when she accused me of hitting her after I refused to divorce her. That is slander. Maybe she's angry and she hates me but that doesn't warrant her slandering me."
Despite all this, he told mStar that he still loves his wife and hopes that all the marital problems they are facing right now can be resolved peacefully.
His filing comes two weeks after the proceeding regarding Puteri Sarah's divorce application on March 7.
On that day, Syamsul objected to Puteri Sarah's divorce application and stated through his lawyer that he felt there was still hope for the two of them to reconcile.
During the March 7 hearing too, the Syariah Lower Court was informed that actress Puteri Sarah was hit by her husband, Syamsul, in an incident three years ago.
Since Syamsul refused to pronounce the talak (divorce proclamation) on Puteri Sarah, the judge decided for the couple to go through conciliatory committee (jawatankuasa pendamai or JKP) to resolve the conflict.
As reported by The Star, if the conciliatory committee could not resolve the marital dispute or found that the marriage could not be saved, the Syariah Court will then appoint a hakam (arbitrator) committee from the close relatives of each side to determine the solution.
The court fixed April 10 for the committee to present its findings.
