Nov 6, 2009, 11:42 GMT
A Malaysian prince has won his defamation suit against his estranged teenage wife who claimed he raped and tortured her.
Tengku Temenggong Tengku Muhammad Fakhry claimed victory in the high court yesterday (05.11.09) against Indonesian-born Manohara Odelia Pinot and her mother, Daisy Fajarina.
Pinot, 17, had claimed Fakhry had sexually assaulted her earlier this year, slashed her with razor blades and held her captive in her room, drugging her whenever she complained.
She claimed she escaped while accompanying the Malaysian royal family on a trip to Singapore and filed a police report when she returned to Indonesia.
The High Court ruled in favour of Tengku Fakhry - who is a prince in Malaysia's northern Kelantan state - after his spouse had no lawyers to represent her in court.
The prince had sought $30 million in damages from Pinot and her mother for making false allegations. The court will decide the exact amount at a later date.
Tengku Fakhry is now desperate to clear his name.
The prince's lawyer Mohamad Haaziq Pillay said: "They made him look like a monster, they tarnished his reputation internationally, but it has all been lies.
"This was their opportunity to come back to prove their case against him, but they failed to do so."
Pinot had hired Malaysian lawyers earlier this year but they quit in September claiming they had received no instruction from her - and she had refused to return to Malaysia to discuss the case.
The High Court said if the teenager failed to hire new lawyers they would rule in favour of the prince.
The prince married his bride - who is a well-known socialite in Indonesia - when she turned 16 last year, but her mother has said her daughter was kidnapped.
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