Swatch files lawsuit against Malaysian govt over seizure of Pride watches - The Straits Times

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has filed a lawsuit against the Malaysian government over the seizure of 172 rainbow-coloured timepieces worth RM64,795 (S$18,800) allegedly linked to its Pride Collection.

In its lawsuit filed on June 24, the company wanted the Kuala Lumpur High Court to quash the Home Affairs Ministry’s seizure notices in May for the watches, and for the timepieces to be returned within five days of the order. It also wanted compensation in the form of aggravated and exemplary damages.

The lawsuit was filed via a judicial review application and named four respondents, namely the government of Malaysia, the Home Affairs Ministry, the ministry’s chief secretary and the ministry’s enforcement division secretary.

A judicial review is usually filed to challenge the actions or decisions of the government and public bodies, and to request the courts to review those decisions.

The case will be heard at the High Court on Thursday.

Between May 13 and May 15, officers from the ministry raided 16 Swatch stores across Malaysia and seized 172 watches featuring nine different designs.

Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on May 29 that the letters “LGBT” were found on the dials of the confiscated watches, prompting a denial from Swatch on the same day, which said it would take legal action to recover the timepieces.

In the suit, Swatch Malaysia claimed the Home Affairs Ministry’s officers had acted “illegally, irrationally, with procedural impropriety”, and that their actions were allegedly disproportionate and for an improper purpose.

It said the seized watches did not cause any disruption to public order or morality, and the items did not violate any laws. It added that some of the models seized have been sold in Malaysia for over a year, and that it did not receive any complaints from the public.

Before filing its lawsuit, Swatch’s lawyers sent a letter to the Home Affairs Ministry on June 9 to demand the return of the watches, but said it did not receive any response.

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2023-07-17 04:45:00Z
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