PETALING JAYA: Actor Farid Kamil has refused to divorce his wife, actress Diana Danielle at the Subang Bistari Lower Syariah Court here.

Syarie Judge Shukran Yusof said the report of the Conciliatory Committee (JKP) revealed a shiqaq or a prolonged dispute where both parties failed to reconcile and advised Farid to utter the talak (pronouncement of divorce) to his wife if he is ready but he refused.

"Because the defendant (Farid) disagreed (to utter talak), the court hereby orders this divorce case to continue with arbitration and the court set June 15 for the parties to appoint the hakam (arbitrators)," said Shukran.

Diana's counsel, syarie lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader said since the outcome of the JKP report was negative, his party requested Farid (defendant) to utter the talak.

"If the defendant (Farid) refuses to pronounce talaq, we go to the next stage, which is hakam (arbitration)," he said.

Farid's lawyer Fakhrul Azman Abu Hassan objected to the hakam process as he was of the view that shiqaq did not occur, which was opposed by Akberdin who argued that the JKP report stated that shiqaq did occur as the couple had different opinions about their household and had not been living together since March.

The celebrity couple attended today's proceeding and Farid was accompanied by his parents Datuk Dr Zahari Che Dan and Datin Sharifah Bardah Syed Abdillah.

On March 10, Diana filed for divorce from Farid under Section 47 of the Islamic Family Law (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003 on the grounds that they have irreconcilable differences and there was a shiqaq and could no longer live together as husband and wife.

-- BERNAMA