KOTA KINABALU: A doctor and his nurse partner in Keningau district have been fined RM15,000, or the value of three head of large livestock, for breaking customary laws by marrying another's spouse.
This fine, locally known as "sogit", was imposed by the Keningau Native Court based on the Native Court Enactment 1992 and the Native Laws Amendments 1995, on Tuesday (May 12).
This comes after the nurse’s husband filed a "lapau" suit against the couple after the woman was said to have married the doctor while she was still legally wedded.
The suit is a claim filed under Native Customary law against those accused of disrupting or ruining a marriage, including a union that has yet to be annulled or dissolved under the law or customary rites.
The court made the decision after going through documents, statements and evidence provided.
It found that the woman still had a legal marriage based on her records in the National Registration Department in 2018, where she subsequently had two children.
The court also took into account the woman marrying the doctor while her first marriage had yet to be dissolved.
During the proceedings, the woman's marital status in the eyes of the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department was also touched upon.
Apart from the main fine of RM15,000, both accused were asked to pay extra sogit for the two children, amounting to RM4,000.
The court directed that the payments be made within 21 working days of its order, with failure to do so resulting in further actions under related laws.
The court instructed all parties to refrain from making rude, threatening or insulting statements that could tarnish the image of others, especially on social media.
