Descendants of Sultan Zainal Abidin III are called to assist in claiming a vast Terengganu land estate, following a recent Syariah court order to identify rightful heirs.
KUALA LUMPUR: The surviving heirs of Sultan Zainal Abidin III have been urged to come forward to facilitate a long-running claim over half of a vast tract of land in Terengganu.
Lawyers representing Tengku Ibrahim Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, who holds a Power of Attorney for the heirs, issued the call to update and consolidate information for the claim.
The request follows a Faraid order issued by the Kuala Terengganu Syariah Lower Court on Jan 4, which confirmed the heirs of the late Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, a son of Sultan Zainal Abidin III.
Heirs are requested to contact Razali Ibrahim or Iwan Yaacob as soon as possible.
The claim concerns half of the Cap Zuriat Sungai Mengkuang (CZSM) land, covering more than 5,463 hectares, which was acquired by the Terengganu state government in 1923.
The lawyers’ statement asserted that the handover of the land in 1923 did not include the half share belonging to Sultan Zainal Abidin III, which became part of his estate.
“Our client remains confident that the half share belonging to the late Sultan Zainal Abidin III, calculated from the CZSM land, remains an undivided estate,” the statement said.
Since the original land has been developed and distributed to Felda settlers, the estate must be replaced through the concept of “istibdal”.
This involves substituting the original land with other suitable land at another location.
Tengku Ibrahim will pursue the claim so the land can be replaced and returned to the rightful heirs.
The legal battle has a long history, beginning with a 2005 Syariah High Court order for the state to issue a title deed for half the land or pay compensation.
That ruling also ordered the estate be distributed among the heirs.
However, the state government appealed, and the Terengganu Syariah Appeal Court overturned the decision in July 2007.
In August 2020, 309 heirs filed for a judicial review of the Appeal Court’s decision on the land’s status.
The Terengganu Syariah Appeal Court then ordered the heirs in April 2023 to submit faraid certificates to support their claim.
