Sulu: Government pursuing ‘traitors’
Published on: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
By: Bernama
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the government is in the process of identifying the masterminds and ‘traitors’ among Malaysians who are supporting and helping the Sulu group in making claims over Sabah. — Bernama pic
Kuala Lumpur: The Government is in the process of identifying the masterminds and “traitors” among Malaysians who are supporting and helping the Sulu group in making claims over Sabah.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the Government has received information indicating that these individuals are the instigators and informants for the group.
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She was responding to a supplementary question posed by Datuk Matbali Musah (GRS-Sipitang), who wanted to know the measures taken by the Government to ensure that there are no further claims from the Sulu group.
To a question raised by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) on the Government’s concrete plans to stop the group from making more claims on Sabah, Azalina said she agreed in principle that the issue must be addressed, but at the same time respecting the ongoing legal process.
“Sometimes I wonder if there is something more (that) we can do…we don’t know what’s next as many people could make claims, not only on Sabah and Sarawak but also the peninsula because we are a country with so much history,” she said.
She added that the country must adopt various strategies to tackle the matter, adding that the Government wants to sue those found to have undermined Malaysia and make sure that they compensate it for the costs incurred.
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“This case began in 2019 and as a responsible government, we inherit (it) and must defend the dignity of our country and rights as Malaysians,” she said.
Responding to the original question posed by William Leong Jee Keen (PH-Selayang) regarding the latest progress on the claims made by the Sulu group, Azalina said on May 15, the Madrid Court of Appeal upheld the contempt of court conviction and sentence against arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa in the Sulu claimants’ case.
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In January, Spanish arbitrator Dr Gonzalo Stampa, who controversially ordered Malaysia to pay US$14.92 billion (RM70.19b) to self-claimed heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate, was found guilty of contempt of court.
On Nov 6 last year, the French Court annulled the order of the rising of statue to be mortgaged against a Malaysian Diplomatic building in Paris by a self-claimed Sulu group from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, on Nov 10, last year, Azalina reportedly said the Madrid Court had carried out their own investigations and filed charges against Stampa and if found guilty, he faces a jail sentence and fine.
Previously, eight citizens of the Philippines, who claimed to be heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate, had filed for arbitration proceedings in Spain to seek billions of US dollars from Malaysia over Sabah and a court in Madrid, Spain had in March 2019 appointed Gonzalo Stampa to be the arbitrator for the Sulu claimants’ case.
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