KUALA LUMPUR: Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd (SESB) and its liquidator have filed a new lawsuit seeking a court order to compel the sale of the Duta Enclave land by the government and for the company to receive its proceeds, subject to deductions.
SESB, which is undergoing voluntary liquidation, and its liquidator Dr Lai Chee Chuen filed the suit through Messrs AG Kalidas Doris & Nada at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry on Oct 8.
They named the government, the Federal Lands Commissioner, the minister charged with the lands in the Federal Territory, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Land and Mines director-general, Federal Territory Land and Mines director and Federal Territory titles registrar as the first until seventh defendants.
In the statement of claim, sighted by The Star, SESB estimated the present market value of the land to be between RM12bil and RM13bil.
SESB is seeking a declaration that the government held the said prime land in trust for the company and a court order to compel the government to sell the land within a specified period.
Alternatively, the plaintiffs are seeking equitable compensation for the alleged breach of trust or damages under Article 13 of the Federal Constitution for the alleged deprivation of the company’s property rights.
They are also seeking restitution for the benefits allegedly derived by the government from its continued occupation and use of the land, interest at 5% per annum on sums ordered to be paid, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.
A check on the court's e-filing system showed that the suit has been fixed for case management before High Court judge Justice Anand Ponnudurai on Nov 3.
On Nov 13, 2025, the Federal Court dismissed SESB's application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision that the Federal Territory Land Titles Registrar did not need to register 263.272 acres of land in Duta Enclave in the name of the company.
The Court of Appeal's decision in favour of the government remains in force because the company cannot continue its appeal to the Federal Court after failing to obtain leave.
The case was then returned to the High Court for a hearing for the assessment of damages.
On June 24, 2025, the Court of Appeal ruled that SESB was not entitled to the title to the land but that the company was entitled to appropriate compensation which would be assessed based on the value of the land in 1956, when it was acquired by the government.
The disputed land is located in the prime area of Jalan Duta, known as the Duta Enclave, which houses government buildings including the National Hockey Stadium, the Malaysian Integrity Institute, the National Archives, the Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court, the Inland Revenue Board and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Academy.
The dispute involving Semantan Estate began in 2003 when the company sued the government, claiming that the land was acquired illegally.
In 2009, Judicial Commissioner Zura Yahya ruled in favour of Semantan Estate and held that the government had acquired the land illegally and that the company had a beneficial interest in it.
