Three daughters and a son have refused to follow a custody ruling issued by the General Court in Abha in favor of their mother, choosing to continue to stay with their father despite the judge's decision, Al-Watan daily reported. The father, Abdul Malik, said for the 11 years he had been married to the children's mother, he had let her go with the children to visit her family in Jazan until she asked for SR150,000 to repay a loan. After refusing to pay the money, Malik said his wife filed a lawsuit against him in the court demanding divorce. "We then were referred to a committee but with her insistence on getting a divorce, the judge told me to be a man and divorce her because the woman does not want to return to me. So I signed the divorce papers but I begged the judge to lift the ban on my salary, as the court would hold on to the salary in such cases," Malik said. "After the divorce, my ex-wife filed another lawsuit for custody of my children. My three daughters and my son appeared before the judge and affirmed that they refused to live with their mother and uncles for they commit many shameful acts. The judge on the case was transferred to Khamis Mushayt Court and the judicial lieutenant issued the verdict ruling in favor of my wife's custody." Malik said his oldest daughter threatened to commit suicide if they sent her with her mother, so he filed several more complaints with the authorities. "Two years passed by without any progress on my complaints. Security authorities are still pursuing my children to implement the custody ruling while they reject it," he said. Legal adviser Ryan Mufti said the father is entitled to judicial review to prove his case after the verdict. He can apply for a retrial in front of another judge and prove the damage that will fall on the children if they were sent with the mother. He can cite the refusal of the children to go with the mother and their desire to live with the father."
