Australian govt cannot invoke sovereign immunity, court told

KUALA LUMPUR: Sovereign immunity cannot be invoked by the Australian government and its tax office (ATO) in the case of a Malaysian timber tycoon with regard to his tax issue, the High Court was told.

The Australian government and ATO have applied to the High Court to strike out the lawsuit by Sir Hii Yii Ann, 57, for the imposition of A$49mil (RM161mil) tax assessment on him over his income earnings outside Australia.