Abu Bekir – How Much is He Worth?!
Sarawak Report
This post is also available in: Malay
‘Abused’ – Abu Bekir’s first wife is suing for a RM 400 million divorce!
It must have seemed a good idea at the time for young Abu Bekir to have married a lady with an MBA in Finance. They even placed her on the Board of the family firm CMS. However, it means Datin Sri Shahnaz Majid, who is now suing him for divorce, is particularly qualified to give an estimate of the worth of Taib’s son – and she is after him for RM400 million!
According to expert divorce lawyers consulted by Sarawak Report, a wife in her position would be entitled to aim for 30% of a couple’s wealth, which makes Abu Bekir, aged 48, a comfortable billionaire. According to Kuching lawyer Desmond Kho:
“The RM400 million claim is by far the highest ever recorded and claimed by a Sarawakian. This should make Bekir one of the richest men in Malaysia. I’m sure the wife’s lawyer must have assessed Bekir’s wealth to come up with the quotation”.
The revelation could not have come at a more awkward time for the Mahmud family, just the day after Taib had parachuted him in to contest BN’s supposedly safe seat of Sadong Jaya. Over the coming days before the actual election the constituents were supposed to be treated to a staged introduction to their new candidate, who would doubtless have become Taib’s planned successor. Even the Prime Minister Najib Razak was to visit the area on his behalf this March 19th. However, now these voters will have rather more information than anticipated upon which to judge their new candidate!
Bad character?
Wife number 2 is a Russian widow
Shanaz, who is the sister of the well-known jazz singer Sheila Majid and seems widely liked, says that Abu Bekir subjected her to ‘physical and mental torture’. According to reports she has accused her husband of punching her head, face and eyes; kicking her in the ribs; and throttling her. She also claims he verbally abused her with foul words. The accusations are uncannily similar to the reports against Abu Bekir’s brother Sulaiman, who publicly attacked a girlfriend in a bar in KL.
The couple, who married in 1992 and have a 17 year old son, have not been intimate since 2001. Shanaz claims that since 1999, her husband rarely came home and could not be advised, was difficult to contact and was very sociable with other women. After he married a second wife, a young, blond Russian woman he ceased to treat her fairly.
Assets
However, it is Abu Bekir’s assets and the small matter of how he came to acquire them that will be of equal interest to Sarawakians contemplating the suitability of this candidate for office. Shahnaz refers to several homes and claims Bekir owns thousands of hectares in Sarawak, which will come as little surprise to readers of Sarawak Report. She also reveals that he owns seven luxury cars that include Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley and Maserati. According to Abu Bekirs first wife, their joint assets include shares in 15 different companies including Cahaya Mata Sarawak and Sarawak Cable Bhd as well as savings in Employees Provident Fund and Amanah Saham Bumiputera units.
Abu Bekir (left) Posing as the jet-setter in a magazine article about personal jets.
Sarawak Report has examined just some of the assets his wife refers to.
CMS
It is a well-known fact that Abu Bekir is a key Director and the largest shareholder in CMS along with his brother Sulaiman. CMS is a supposedly public company made up of assets taken from the State of Sarawak through the decisions of the Chief Minister. However a huge chunk of the shares are owned by members of Taib’s family.
