KOTA KINABALU: The final landmark judgment by a court in the Netherlands, which ruled in favour of Malaysia and dismissed the appeal by the Sulu claimants, is “very good news”, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic).
“The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Malaysia, hence putting an end to the claim which Sabah has never recognised in the first place,” the Chief Minister said.
Sabah’s sovereignty in Malaysia should not be doubted and challenged by anyone, he said in a statement yesterday.
On Friday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said announced in a Facebook post that the Malaysian government had obtained a final landmark victory in the case.
She said the ruling by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands had closed the chapter on the claimant’s attempts to enforce illegitimate claims on Malaysia.
In 2019, Sulu claimants took their case to Spanish arbitrator Dr Gonzalo Stampa to seek compensation for land in Sabah, which they claimed was leased by their ancestors to a British trading company in 1878.
On Feb 28, 2022, Stampa decided in their favour. The award of US$14.9bil (RM64.5bil) was issued by Stampa despite the prior annulment of his appointment as an arbitrator by a Spanish court in 2021.
