Ruhainies (far left) was nabbed by religious authorities on suspicion of khalwat with Aliff Aziz, who's married to Bella Astillah. Photos: Ruhainies/Instagram, Bella Astillah/Instagram
Malaysian actress Ruhainies has finally issued an official statement days after her suspected khalwat (close proximity) case with Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz.
The pair were nabbed by Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) officers on March 9 after they were seen together at Ruhainies' condominium unit in Kuala Lumpur.
In a statement on March 14, Ruhainies apologised for her “mistake” which had led to many misunderstandings.
The 31-year-old said she valued her friendship with Aliff’s wife, Malaysian singer Bella Astillah, adding that she didn't want the pair to split.
Bella, who married Aliff in 2016, filed for divorce from the Singaporean actor on March 11. This is the second time she is filing for a divorce.
Bella and Aliff, who share two children, divorced in 2019 after he was accused of cheating on her but reconciled in 2020.
“I apologise for letting this issue go on without a statement. I value my friendship with Bella and hope she and Aliff won’t split.
“I’m ready to discuss things with Bella whenever she’s ready,” Ruhainies wrote on Instagram.
In her statement, Ruhainies claimed that Jawi officials have confirmed there was no “tangkap basah” (khalwat) between her and Aliff.
Ruhainies also clarified the events leading up to her detainment, adding that she only invited Aliff to her place for dinner with her siblings and nothing else.
However, the two actors were left alone momentarily when Ruhainies’ older sister arrived late as she “got stuck in traffic”.
“We were chatting when there was a knock on the door. I thought it was my sister because she told me she was already arriving.
“But when I heard a male voice, I hesitated to open the door due to safety reasons.
“I called my sister to come as quickly as possible to check who’s outside and she confirmed it was Jawi officials when she arrived,” she said.
Ruhainies said her sister had informed her that Bella, 29, and the media were waiting outside her door.
It was only after reaching an agreement that only relevant parties should be present outside did Ruhainies finally open the door.
“I admit my mistake. I put myself in a situation that led to many misunderstandings, which could have been avoided.
“I want to stress that Aliff and I are just friends who are working together in a drama.
“I hope my statement won’t be used as a provocation. I just want to clear the situation between the three of us,” she said.
Aliff also issued a similar statement explaining what actually happened that day.
The 33-year-old apologised for the incident and said he should have waited at the lobby instead of in Ruhainies’ unit.
“I will take this as a lesson and be more careful in the future. Because of my mistake, I not only ruined my reputation but also my family's,” he wrote.
