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Hajiji called the decision a decisive ruling and significant victory for Malaysia. — Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (Dec 11): Sabah has hailed the Paris Court of Appeal’s decision to annul the US$14.9 billion (RM61.1 billion) ‘Final Award’ in the claim by individuals purporting to be heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate over Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor called the decision a decisive ruling and significant victory for Malaysia.
“I have stated before, we will defend Sabah’s sovereignty within the Federation of Malaysia, and we will never entertain such claims.
“The decision of the Paris Court of Appeal once again vindicated Sabah’s stand all this while,” he said in response to the statement of the Sulu Special Secretariat War Room, acting on behalf of the Malaysian government.
The court’s ruling on Dec 9 found that the arbitrator, Gonzalo Stampa, lacked jurisdiction and that no valid arbitration agreement bound Malaysia.
Hajiji said the Sabah state government reiterated its commitment to work with the federal
government to quash any future claims.
“We also express our gratitude to the federal government for their hard work in defending Sabah’s sovereignty,” he added.
On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the victory is not only a legal success, but also a triumph of dignity, sovereignty, and rights for all Malaysians, especially the people of Sabah.
The Paris Court of Appeal fully annulled the ‘Final Award’ issued by Stampa on Feb 28, 2022, and ordered the Sulu claimants pay costs amounting to €200,000 (RM960,000) to Malaysia.
The court found that Stampa had no jurisdiction to issue the ‘Final Award’ as there was no valid arbitration agreement binding Malaysia.
Earlier, the Paris Court of Appeal had rejected the recognition and enforcement of the ‘Partial Award’ on June 6, 2023, and the French Court of Cassation upheld that decision on Nov 6, 2024.
Previously, eight Philippine nationals claiming to be heirs of the now-defunct Sulu Sultanate initiated arbitration proceedings in Spain, seeking billions in compensation from Malaysia over Sabah.
In March 2019, a Madrid court appointed Stampa as arbitrator for the case.
On Feb 28, 2022, Stampa issued a ‘Final Award’ amounting to US$14.9 billion in favour of the claimants through an invalid arbitration process, as his appointment had already been revoked by the Spanish court.
Related story: Sulu case: Paris Court decision a major victory for Malaysia, says Azalina
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