Across Asia: Malaysia

Abuse case: Prince cleared

A Malaysian prince won a defamation suit yesterday against his teenage wife who accused him of sexual and physical abuse after she fled back home to Indonesia.

The High Court ruled in favor of Tengku Fakhry Ismail Petra, a prince in Malaysia's northern Kelantan state, because his wife had no lawyers to represent her, said the prince's lawyer, Mohamad Haaziq Pillay. The prince had sought 105 million ringgit ($30 million) from Manohara Odelia Pinot and her mother for making false allegations against him, but the court would decide later how much they should pay him, Mohamad Haaziq said.