VIENTIANE, June 27 — The Hague Court of Appeal in the Netherlands today dismissed the Sulu claimants’ application for recognition and enforcement of a purported arbitral award of US$14.9 billion (RM62.59 billion) to be enforced in the Netherlands.
The ruling was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today before he departed for home after a two-day official visit to Laos.
“(Malaysia) won, Alhamdullillah. A bad episode which challenged Malaysia’s sovereignty has been brought to an end. We are thankful that they have failed,” he told the Malaysian media.
The purported final award was issued by a Spanish arbitrator, Dr Gonzalo Stampa, on February 28, 2022 to eight individuals claiming to be heirs of the Sulu Sultanate.
In their bid to enforce the US$14.9 billion final award, the Sulu claimants were reported to have attempted to seize Malaysia’s oil firm Petronas’ assets in Luxembourg, assets in the Netherlands and also targeted Malaysia’s diplomatic assets in France (including part of its embassy).
The prime minister said the latest decision has blocked any attempt by the claimants to enforce their illegitimate claims against the Malaysian government in the Netherlands.
He said the verdict in the Hague Court of Appeal is another landmark victory for Malaysia following the Paris Court of Appeal’s decision on June 6 this year.
“The Malaysian government is confident that we are now closer than ever to completely nullifying the sham and abusive final award amounting to approximately US$15 billion issued by Stampa, thus consigning the claimants’ flawed claims to history.
“Malaysia trusts that today’s decision of the Hague Court of Appeal, combined with the recent decision of the Paris Court of Appeal, will put an end to the frivolous attempts of the claimants to enforce the purported final award in other jurisdictions,” he said.
Thus far, Anwar said the government has stopped at nothing in order to protect its sovereignty, national security and national interests, and the Sulu case has demonstrated a grave violation of the country’s sovereign immunity, which matters to every citizen of Malaysia Madani.
— Bernama
