Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had decided to impose this penalty in the best interests of women, especially those who had been divorced by their husbands.

“In cases when the woman wins a claim for alimony, the bank will freeze the account of her ex-husband if he defaults on the court order.

“Following the court decision, the bank will make a direct deduction from the ex-husband’s account,” said Ismail, who is an Umno vice-president, in a closing speech at the Umno general assembly here.

Ismail said in conjunction with Women’s Day recently, the government was committed to upholding the dignity of women, adding that widows would be allowed to work from home until the end of their period of mourning.

Previously, Ismail had said that heads of departments and top management of all organisations were required to allow widows to work from home for a reasonable period to allow family issues and the matter of their husband’s estate to be resolved.