KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has reiterated its stand to not recognise any claim over the state as it is a sovereign state in the federation of Malaysia.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic) said this in hailing the French Supreme Court decision to fully dismiss the challenge filed by individuals claiming to be the heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate.
“We reiterate that we do not recognise any claim over Sabah as we are a sovereign state of the Malaysia Federation,” he said in welcoming the good news posted by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
He also thanked the Federal Government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as well as Azalina for the effort to quash the Spanish arbitrator's Final Award.
Azalina in her post described the verdict as a historical and significant victory for the country.
This comes after the Paris Court of Appeal gave the decision in favour of Malaysia during its hearing in Paris on Tuesday (June 6).
Based on the initial translation of the French court's legal decision, the Paris Appeal of Court granted Malaysia's application based on Article 1520,1 of the French code of civil procedure declaring that Spanish Arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa’s appointment as arbitrator to be incompetent.
It also reversed the order of the President of the Paris Court of Justice on Sept 29, 2021, granting execution of the arbitral award rendered in Madrid on May 25, 2020, by Stampa.
Stampa, who ignored a decision by a court in Spain to stop the Sulu arbitration case in Madrid in 2020, had moved his arbitration to Paris where he awarded the US$14.94bil to the Sulu claimants.
Malaysia's argument for the setting aside of the award was that it would likely affect Malaysia’s territorial sovereignty.
The case is seen as exceptional among arbitrators as Stampa's award of nearly US$15bil as such by a single arbitrator was seen as shocking and unheard of.
The self-claimed heirs pursuing their case are Nurhima Kiram Fornan, Fuad A Kiram, Sheramar T Kiram, Permaisuli Kiram-Guerzon, Taj-Mahal Kiram-Tarsum Nuqui, Ahmad Narzad Kiram Sampang, Jenny KA Sampang and Widz-Raunda Kiram Sampang.
