KUALA LUMPUR: Swiss watchmaker Swatch has won its lawsuit against Malaysia’s Home Ministry over the “illegal” seizure of 172 rainbow watches for allegedly promoting LGBTQ values.
In response, the ministry said it plans to comply with the High Court ruling to return the timepieces, which were part of Swiss watchmaker Swatch’s “Pride collection” and worth over RM64,795 (US$14,545).
“When such a decision or action is taken to court, it is the court that ultimately decides the matter and if the court has made a decision, KDN (Malaysia’s Home Ministry) must respect it,” Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution told reporters on Monday (Nov 25), as quoted by the Malay Mail.
“Failing to do so could be seen as contempt of court,” Mr Saifuddin added, adding that he will however need to review the court’s full report first before proceeding to return the watches, as reported by local media.
Earlier on Monday, Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Amarjeet Singh Serjit Singh said that the Home Ministry’s raid of Swatch stores last year and the seizure of its watches was illegal as it was made without a warrant.
Justice Amarjeet also noted that the Home Ministry had imposed the ban on Pride watches only after seizing them, which meant that the Swiss watchmaker had not violated any laws at the time of the seizure.
“As a consequence, an order is made that all the watches seized are to be returned within 14 days of the date of this order,” he said in his decision.
In the court ruling on Monday, Justice Amarjeet did not grant damages of RM64,795 sought by the Swiss company but noted that the company could file for damages later if the watches were found to be damaged during the seizure, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
“This is if the watches are in any way, damaged. For some reason, whenever seizures are made by the enforcement agencies, whatever things that are seized tend to be damaged,” he added.
When asked if the ministry would appeal the decision, Mr Saifuddin told the media that it was too soon to decide.
Local media previously reported that the ministry had seized 172 Swatch watches from outlets in 11 shopping malls over three days in May 2023, including from boutiques in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Kota Kinabalu between May 13 and May 15, 2023. This included those in upscale shopping malls like Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Pyramid and Mid Valley Megamall, as reported by the New Straits Times.
Five outlets in Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Johor and Sarawak were given a warning for stocking the watches.
The watches were confiscated as they had the letters “LGBTQ” – referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community – inscribed on their faces.
Instead of the seven colours found in a rainbow, the watches’ design also featured six colours. A well-known symbol of the LGBT community is the six-colour pride flag.
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