RIYADH, July 6: Rania al Baz, the Saudi television announcer who was almost battered to death by her husband several months ago, has pardoned him on condition that he will not make any claim whatsoever for their two sons in his lifetime.

In reaching the court settlement on Saturday, Rania gave up her right of retributive punishment of her husband. As part of the settlement, she received a total of 21,000 riyals from husband Muhammad Bakar Yunus Fallata, who had surrendered to police on April 19.

Rania has been advised by her legal counsel to avoid the press. According to some of her close relatives, despite the out of court settlement, the family of Rania is still scared of the accused and the fallout from the entire episode, and hence they do not want to talk of it in public.

Yunus Fallata had been absconding since April 4 after having dumped his wife at the door of a hospital in Jeddah saying that she was a traffic accident victim. Doctors found Rania unconscious with her face smashed.

Rania had earlier said that her husband, a jobless singer, had flown into a fit of rage and smashed her face against the marble tiles and walls of their house. He tried to choke her as well.