(Bloomberg) -- Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group AG has won its lawsuit against the Malaysian government over last year’s controversial seizure of its Pride-themed watches in the Southeast Asian nation, according to a Malaysiakini report.
The Malaysian High Court on Monday ordered the Home Ministry to return the watches — a series of timepieces with rainbow wristbands that came in six colors — within 14 days, after a judge ruled the seizure illegal.
The Malaysian government seized the watches between May 13 and May 15 last year, but only gazetted its official ban on the timepieces in August, citing LGBTQ+ influences. Sodomy is a criminal offense in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation.
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Swatch filed the suit in June last year, demanding return of the 172 watches worth 64,795 ringgit ($14,550), and claiming that the seizure was illegal.
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution said he would study the report on the judgment before making a decision on the government’s next move.
“My initial reaction is, on principle, the ministry should respect the court’s decision,” he told journalists on the sidelines of a government event on Monday.
(Updates with Home Minister’s comments in fifth and sixth paragraphs)
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