Freeze of accounts of Tabung Haji depositors who don’t pay alimony, high Sharia choose proposes

Friday, March 25, 2022 4:50 PM MYT

PUTRAJAYA, March 25 – The accounts of Tabung Haji (TH) depositors who have failed to pay ‘nafkah’ (alimony) to their ex-wives and children are to be frozen.

Sharia Chief Justice Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the move aims to ensure that any depositor who is a potential pilgrim is debt-free.

He said the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM) will hold a meeting with Lembaga Tabung Haji next week to discuss the matter.

“These people (payers) must pay the alimony before fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam. This method can help the unjust ex-husband (who does not pay alimony) to be debt free as well, since it entails debts to his loved ones (ex-wife and children).

“We want to ensure that the Hajj is performed as a debt-free servant of God,” he said at a press conference today on the topic of hiwalah (debt cancellation) and alimony payments in marriage dissolution here.

Mohd Na’im said the proposal comes after the government’s announcement regarding the freezing of bank accounts of those who fail to pay alimony to their ex-wives.

The government had reportedly decided to impose the penalty in the best interests of women, particularly those who had been divorced from their husbands.

Mohd Na’im said JKSM also plans to meet with Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) to make a similar proposal.

“After meeting TH, we will meet with PNB to propose freezing the shares of anyone who does not pay child support to their ex-wife and children,” he said. — Bernama