KUALA LUMPUR: No marriage took place between influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharuddin, also known as Cleopatra, and former deputy inspector-general of police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin, the Syariah Court ruled today.
Lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader who represented Fathiah said the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to determine the authenticity of the marriage certificate from Thailand as both parties acknowledged that no marriage occurred between them.
He said Syariah judge Wan Mohd Najib Wan Hamat made the ruling after evaluating all affidavits submitted by both parties.
"Since both parties deny the existence of the marriage, the court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter because the marriage never took place.
"The judge did not address the issue of the marriage certificate's validity and left it to the police or the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) to take further action.
"The judge only focused on whether the marriage took place, as both parties stated that they never went abroad, and the applicant's guardian never accompanied her there," he said.
Meanwhile, Syarie lawyer Fakhrul Azman Abu Hassan, representing Mohd Bakri, 70, also confirmed that no marriage took place between them.
"According to legal jurisdiction, if there is no marriage, the court has no authority to hear the application (by Nur Fathiah).
"The court does not need to confirm a non-existent marriage, so the Syarie judge dismissed the applicant's claim," he said.
Nur Fathiah, when met, expressed her gratitude for the court's decision, which clarified her status as never having married Mohd Bakri.
The former independent candidate for Batu parliamentary seat during the last general election also called for authorities to investigate the existence of the fake marriage certificate.
"I have already filed a police report and hope that the relevant authorities will investigate the existence of this fake marriage certificate," she said.
On Oct 28 last year, Nur Fathiah denied allegations that she had married Bakri.
She had said the former senior police officer was also not the chairman of any of her company's subsidiaries.
Previously, Nur Fathiah had uploaded a photo of herself and Bakri on Instagram when they attended the "Senandung Nusantara Ethnochestra" concert by Erwin Gutawa and Jay Subyakto.
It sparked rumours among netizens, with some even congratulating the two on their marriage.