**A Malaysian prince has sued his runaway Indonesian teen wife and mother-in-law.**They had claimed he had tortured the teenager during the couple’s year-long marriage.
Tengku Temenggong Tengku Mohammad Fakhry, a prince in northern Kelantan state, filed a defamation suit in the High Court.
He is seeking 105 million ringgit ($30m, £18m) in damages from Manohara Odelia Pinot and her mother, said lawyer Mohamad Haaziq Pillay.
The 17-year-old Ms Pinot returned to Indonesia in May and told media that the 31-year-old Mr Fakhry had slashed her with razor blades and treated her as a sex slave.
She reportedly said she was held captive in her room and drugged whenever she complained.
She allegedly escaped while accompanying the state royal family on a trip to Singapore and filed a police report in Indonesia shortly afterward.
The scandal has captured widespread media attention in both Malaysia and Indonesia.
‘Concoction’
Mr Fakhry’s lawsuit accuses Ms Manohara and her mother, Daisy Fajarina, of concocting the allegations “out of spite” and “motivated by a desire of financial gains,” the lawyer said.
“They have made my client out to be a monster and his reputation has been tarnished. My client is keen to get to the truth of the matter and clear his name,” he told the Associated Press.
“Anyone can say anything but do they have proof This is the time for them to come forward and prove their allegations,” he was quoted as telling state news agency Bernama.
The two women, who are in Indonesia, have 21 days to respond to the suit, or the case could go on in their absence.
The prince married the teenager last year after she turned 16, but her mother has said Ms Manohara had been kidnapped.
The prince has since petitioned for a divorce.