KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 – The French Supreme Court on Wednesday fully dismissed the challenge filed by the alleged heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
In a Facebook post, she described this as a historic victory for Malaysia, noting that the important decision means the initial basis for the sham Final Award that ordered Malaysia to pay US$15 billion is not recognised under French law.
“The Paris Court of Appeal will now proceed, in due course, to annul the so-called Final Award rendered by Dr (Gonzalo) Stampa, and will definitively settle the matter in favour of the Malaysian people,” she said.
Azalina welcomed this landmark decision by the French Supreme Court as a momentous victory for the rule of law, which will help preserve the sanctity of international arbitration as an alternative form of dispute resolution.
Previously, eight citizens of the Philippines, allegedly heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate, filed for arbitration proceedings in Spain to seek billions of US dollars from Malaysia over Sabah, and a court in Madrid had in March 2019 appointed Stampa to be the arbitrator for the Sulu claimants’ case.
