Pursuits
Divorce Spat Unveils Billionaire Family in Malaysia Politics
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Abdul Taib Mahmud, who ruled Sarawak, the Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, for more than three decades, retired in February with a billion-dollar family fortune.
Some of the details of Taib’s wealth surfaced during the divorce settlement battle between his elder son, Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, and Mahmud’s ex-wife, who is seeking more than $120 million in potentially one of the biggest separation payouts in Malaysia. The family has the largest stake in the state’s biggest infrastructure company and other assets, according to corporate filings.