KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will be on the offensive and does not rule out the possibility of suing the Sulu group due to the losses suffered as a result of their legal pursuit, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said the government is considering suing the group as the costs incurred by Malaysia were very high.
“We will present a legal opinion to study what action the government needs to take against them, on whether we need to sue for the losses we face. The fight is not over, but for Malaysia (when) we fight, we fight fairly,” she said.
In February, Azalina said the government had spent RM31 million on legal costs against the claims of eight purported heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate seeking compensation for land in Sabah, including costs of international legal services, court proceedings, translations, and historical and legal research from November 20, 2019, until January 20 this year.
Speaking to the media at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) here today, Azalina described the group’s demand for US$14.9 billion (RM62.59 billion) from Malaysia through the arbitration process, as “a new form of war”. – Bernama, June 30, 2023
