The Home Ministry (KDN) has issued a response to the High Court’s order, saying that it will honour the decision and return all watches seized from a raid conducted on Swatch’s local retail stores last year. Home minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during the ministry’s Monthly Assembly today, told the press that KDN is requesting the court to provide a full report on its judgement.
“When KDN carried out enforcement in the case, it is clear that we applied the existing act and the enforcement division (according to ) the considerations at the time,” Saifuddin said. “When the action is later challenged in court, and if that is the court’s decision, KDN should respect the decision, otherwise it is considered contempt of court, so I have to obtain a full report on the judgement.”
Earlier today, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh allowed Swatch’s judicial review against the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Malaysian government. The court ruled the seizure notice invalid, citing the lack of a warrant and deeming it unlawful. KDN is instructed to return all 172 watches seized from Swatch, including the Pride Collection, within 14 days.
As you may recall, enforcement officers raided 11 Swatch shops across Malaysia between 13 and 15 May 2023, seizing the watches that are believed to be promoting LGBTQ+. Later in August that year, KDN imposed a ban on owning any timepiece from the Swatch Pride Collection, with non-compliance punishable by a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.
(Source: Bernama)
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