Kuala Lumpur: The former wife of a Malaysian Cabinet minister is taking him to court, accusing him of failing to pay millions of dollars as part of their divorce settlement, reports said yesterday.

Farida Effendi, 55, is asking the court to jail ex-husband Effendi Norwawi, minister in charge of economic planning, for reneging on a court-sanctioned divorce settlement reached last year, the New Strait Times said.

The settlement includes 150,000 ringgit (Dh148,782) in cash and the transfer to Farida of some two dozen properties in Malaysia and one in England, as well as all of his shares in local firm Encorp Utility, it said.

The Shariah High Court has set April 26 to decide whether to begin contempt proceedings against Effendi for not abiding by the court divorce ruling.

Compensation

Effendi, a businessman before he became a politician, could be jailed if found guilty, the report said without giving details.

Neither Effendi nor his spokesmen were immediately available to comment on the report. Farida also could not be reached.

Farida also is seeking compensation of 200,000 ringgits (Dh198,378) a month, to be backdated from November until the Encorp shares are successfully transferred to her, it said. The couple, who have three children, divorced last year after a 33-year marriage.

Effendi, a former agriculture minister who was reappointed to the Cabinet in a shuffle last month, married popular actress Tiara Jacqueline earlier while still married to Farida.