Faridah Begum bte Abdullah v Ahmad Shah

Faridah Begum bte Abdullah v. Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah (1996) 1 MLJ 617 was the first and is as of 2007 the only case to have been heard by the Special Court of Malaysia which hears cases brought against the Malay rulers (the sultans who serve as constitutional monarchs of seven of the Malay states).

The plaintiff was a Singaporean businesswoman and the defendant was the Sultan of Pahang. Faridah alleged that the Sultan had committed libel against her, and sued for damages. The Attorney General consented to the case, permitting the Special Court to hear it. However, whether the alleged libel had in fact occurred was never decided, as the Special Court ruled 4-1 that non-Malaysians could not bring a suit against the Malay rulers.