Kota Kinabalu: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Members of Parliament want the Government to investigate a former Federal Attorney-General, besides others, over recent attempts by so-called heirs of the defunct sultanate of Sulu in their claims against Malaysian Government assets abroad.
They said the former AG and several others created the space for the so-called heirs to manipulate international legal mechanisms and processes through the “forum shopping” approach.
The call came from GRS Deputy Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who is also Keningau MP, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar), Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau), Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang) and Lo Su Fui (Tawau) in a joint statement, Thursday.
They expressed utmost appreciation to the Federal and Sabah governments for the strategy and effective approach taken in dealing with the claims by eight Filipinos (the claimants) who have filed them in four countries since 2019.
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell’s Access to Energy helps power lives of isolated communities in Sabah Kota Kinabalu: In 2017, Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd (SSPC) launched Access to Energy (A2E), a Shell Social Investment programme aimed at providing affordable and continuous supply of electricity from renewable sources for communities who live without connection to the electricity grid. Read more Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had stated in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday that the French Court of Appeal recently decided to cancel the Execution Order (Exequatur) that was issued by a Paris Court on Sept 29, 2021, over recognising the Preliminary Award issued on May 25, 2020.
Anwar had said that police had initiated investigations under Section124K of the Penal code for sabotage, whose punishment is imprisonment for life.
The so-called heirs had demanded that Malaysia pay US16.4 billion for allegedly violating a controversial 1878 agreement between the old Sulu sultanate and the British North Borneo Chartered company requiring permanent cessation payment of $5,300 to the heirs.
Malaysia stopped the payments following the attack by the “Royal Sulu Army” in Lahad Datu, Sabah, in 2013 that left many dead.
The said former AG, without referring to the Federal Cabinet or Sabah Government, communicated directly with the counsel for the “heirs” and expressed regret over Malaysia’s stoppage of the $5,300 yearly payments.
It is believed that around this time, a delegation from Sabah, which included a former State AG, made a representation in a Spanish court on the matter which eventually led to the present situation.
“We fully support the firmness of the Prime Minister who stated that the Government will not hesitate to take criminal action in accordance with the law against any party, including Malaysian citizens, who turn their backs on the interests and security of the country by providing any direct or indirect support, assistance and colluding with the claimants.
“In connection with that, we also want the Government to conduct further investigations into the actions of any party that has created space for the claimants to manipulate the international legal mechanism or process through the ‘forum shopping’ approach.
“This includes a further and detailed investigation into the actions of a former Attorney-General who sent a letter to the claimants’ lawyer dated Sept 19, 2019, without the approval of the Cabinet Meeting as per the Government’s response in the Dewan Rakyat on March 28, 2023.
“Our request is also in line with the stance of the GRS, which from the beginning disputed the actions of the former Attorney-General in managing the issue related to the unfounded claim.
“This stance was expressed by the actions of nine GRS leaders who filed a suit in the Kota Kinabalu High Court on August 16, 2022, against the former Attorney-General,” they said.
They further called on the Federal Government to strengthen governance to ensure that there is no party in the Government in future that acts unilaterally in sensitive matters involving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, especially Sabah.
This includes the need to carry out discussions with the Sabah State Government, they added.
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