Azalina: No notice on asset bid by Sulu claimants

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has not received any formal notice on a purported attachment of assets attempted in Luxembourg by the Sulu self-styled heirs against Malaysia and PETRONAS, an independent corporation.

Therefore, Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said her office was unable to confirm the accuracy of the matter.

“If they prove to be true, this would not be the first time the purported ‘Sulu heirs’ have attempted to seize Malaysia’s assets in Luxembourg on the basis of a purported final award rendered by Spanish lawyer whose appointment as arbitrator was nullified by the same court that initially appointed him without hearing Malaysia.

“Rather, this alleged new attempt to attach assets would follow a first and failed attachment recently lifted by the Luxembourg courts,” she said in a statement yesterday.

A Reuters report on Thursday titled “Petronas units in Luxembourg seized again in US$15 billion arbitration dispute” said Luxembourg court bailiffs had issued fresh seizure orders for two units of Malaysian state oil firm PETRONAS this week, following a bid by descendants of a former sultanate to enforce a US$15bil (RM66bil) award they had won against Malaysia, according to the heirs’ lawyer and court documents seen by Reuters.

Azalina said if the report was true, Malaysia would continue to defend its rights vigorously before the courts in order to ensure that this second attachment (if it existed) was also promptly lifted by the Luxembourg courts, just as the first attachment was lifted.

“We remind the public once again that the purported heirs and their counsels are trying to distort the truth before the media, just as they have done before the courts,” she said.

Earlier, PETRONAS maintained that the action taken by the Sulu claimants against its two subsidiaries in Luxembourg (Luxcos) was baseless and it would continue to defend its legal position.