Divorce petition proceeding over in barely three minutes

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SIBU: A divorce petition filed by a local Utusan Sarawak reporter commenced at 9.56am yesterday in the High Court here and was over in barely three minutes.Judicial Commissioner Yew Jen Kie adjourned the case to 2.30pm on Feb 9 after hearing the application for adjournment by Tang & Company Advocates and Solicitors, Sibu who represented the petitioner.

In the civil suit, the reporter is also claiming for damages against a private secretary of a state assistant cabinet minister for alleged adultery with his wife (now former wife) resulting in the irretrievable breakdown of his marriage.

The defendant was absent from court for the sixth consecutive time since the case was mentioned at the High Court here on March 24 last year.

Lily Wong from Tiong, Lim, Wong & Company Advocates, Sibu who represented the first and second respondents in the petition filed by Duwin Udih on April 21, 2008, told the court that hearing could not proceed because Augustine Liom from Tang & Company Advocates and Solicitors, and counsel for Duwin, was outstation.

In the application letter by Tang & Company Advocates and Solicitors dated Jan 12, it was stated that the adjournment was needed as the parties were in the midst of negotiating a settlement.

Lily Wong, who had a copy of the letter, gave the same reason while informing Yew about the application for adjournment.

When Yew asked Wong about the chances of a settlement, Wong said: “It is a matter of what figure.”

Prior to yesterday’s hearing, offer for out-of-court settlement by the respondents was rejected by the petitioner.

In his petition, Duwin named his former wife, Aretha Niki Anak Mang, 43, as the first respondent and Huong Haw Ching, the second respondent.

Hearing for the first part of the petition on Sept 9 and 11 last year was conducted in chamber before Judicial Commissioner P Ravinthran from Kuching.

Duwin claimed RM1.5 million for damages from the second respondent, and also damages from both respondents as assessed by the court for mental pain and suffering, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem and emotional stress and trauma caused by their alleged adultery and illicit relationship.