An old lady fights for a share of her son’s estate which her daughter-in-law and grandchildren are prepared to give her only a paltry sum.
- Mother has the right to one-sixth of the estate, widow one-eighth, four children the remaining of the estate
- Widow and children prepared to give the mother only a paltry sum
- Several attempts to resolve dispute failed
- JJ a close confidant of Najib
The Kuala Lumpur Syariah High Court has fixed Nov 14 for the mother of the late Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis to file an affidavit-in-reply to an objection by her son’s widow to her application to obtain the faraid certificate on his RM2.082 billion estate.
Jamaluddin’s wife, Puan Sri Kalsom Ismail, 62, had protested against the application by Aminah Abdullah, 84, to determine the division of the estate left by the former minister to his heirs.
Reportedly, a mediation between the mother and widow without the presence of lawyers over Jamaluddin’s estate failed and any amicable solution fizzled out.
The media was informed of the date by Syarie lawyer Datuk Shamsuriah Sulaiman, who is representing Kalsom, after management of the case, which was held in chambers before Shariah High Court registrar Siti Zulaiha Mohamad Mansor.
Besides Kalsom, Jamaluddin’s four children – Ikwan Hafiz, 31, Nur Anis, 33, Nurul Alyaa, 27, and Noor Adilla, 23 – also filed a preliminary objection against their grandmother, Aminah Abdullah’s application for the certificate.
The proceeding was also attended by Syarie lawyer Zuri Zabuddin Budiman, representing the four children, and Aminah’s lawyer, Nur Hidayah A Bakar.
Aminah, who was in a wheelchair, was accompanied in court by Jamaluddin’s stepbrother Mohamad Najeb Ali.
The faraid application was filed by Aminah on March 2 at the Syariah High Court under Section 46(ix) Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993 to determine the allocation each heir is entitled to.
Under Islamic law, a mother has the right to one-sixth of the estate while a widow has the right to one-eighth of the portion.
The children will receive the remaining of the estate.
Aminah is also questioning how her son could have allegedly given some of the wealth, including shares owned by Jamaluddin, to his children.
In total, the assets comprise 22 landed properties, mostly in Pahang and in the Klang Valley, and also in the US and Saudi Arabia; 21 bank accounts worth over RM15 million, including one account in the US; and shares in 15 companies.
It was reported that several attempts were made to resolve the inheritance dispute but none had succeeded.
It is learnt the respondents were only prepared to give Aminah a paltry sum from her son’s properties.
Jamaluddin, who was the former science, technology and innovation minister and Rompin MP, was killed on April 4, 2015 when the helicopter he was travelling in from Pekan, Pahang, en route to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in Kampung Sungai Pening, Semenyih, Selangor.
At one time, Jamaluddin held the portfolio of second finance minister and was a former Malaysian ambassador to the United States and Tenaga Nasional chairman.
Jamaluddin, fondly known as JJ, was a confidant of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He also served as chairman of the 1Malaysia People’s Housing Programme.
He had started out as a lecturer in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia before embarking on his colourful career as a politician and diplomat.
Also killed in the incident, where the helicopter was said to have exploded in mid-air before crashing in a rubber estate, were the pilot Captain Clifford William Fournier; former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private secretary Datuk Seri Azlin Alias; businessman Datuk Tan Huat Seang; Jamaluddin’s personal aide Razakan Seran; and a woman known as Aidana Baizieva.
The report on the investigation into the helicopter crash said it was the result of pilot negligence.
Related reports:
Sept 14, JJ’s Widow, Children to File Objection to His Mum’s Faraid Cert Application
Aug 31, Anti-Graft Group: How Did Jamaluddin Make So Much Money?
Aug 29, Mum Sues to Claim Lte Jamaluddin Jarjis’ Billions