Six months behind bars for Stampa

Azalina: Spanish arbitrator found guilty of contempt of court in Sulu case

PETALING JAYA: Rogue Spanish arbitrator Dr Gonzalo Stampa has been sentenced to six months’ jail for contempt of court, said Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (pic).

Stampa, who controversially ordered Malaysia to pay US$14.92bil to the self-proclaimed heirs of the so-called Sulu Sultanate, will also be banned from practice for a year.

“Congratulations to all Malaysians!

“Rogue arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa has been found guilty of contempt of court and has been sentenced by the Spanish courts to six months in prison, together with a ban from practising as an arbitrator for a year.

“The Madani government’s efforts in addressing and putting a stop to the Sulu fraud have not been in vain.

“We persist in the fight for justice, and will continue our efforts to annul the final award,” said Azalina, who is in charge of law and institutional reforms, in a post on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, yesterday.

In December, Azalina had travelled to Spain to monitor the trial against Stampa at the Criminal Court of Madrid.

He was charged with “unqualified professional practice” after ordering Malaysia to pay US$14.92bil to the self-pro-claimed heirs of the so-called Sulu Sultanate.

On June 29, 2021, the Madrid High Court of Justice issued a judgement, in line with its case law, ruling that as a foreign state, Malaysia had been improperly summoned in arbitrator appointment proceedings.

The court annulled Stampa’s appointment and all his procedural actions, and ordered that Malaysia be properly summoned and to restart arbitral proceedings.

The annulment of Stampa’s appointment was later upheld by the Spanish Constitutional Court after a failed appeal by several Filipino citizens.

The outcome of this case is significant for Malaysia, as it could potentially annul all decisions made by Stampa.

The case against Stampa is seen as crucial in addressing what Malaysia considers to be fraudulent claims against the country by the so-called Sulu sultanate heirs.