Malaysia wins appeal against Sultanate of Sulu claimants' $14.9B award
Case stems from 8 Filipino nationals claiming descent from Sulu Sultanate, who were granted arbitration in Spain, which is now nullified by Paris Court of Appeal
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ISTANBUL
Malaysia has won an appeal case against the long-defunct Sultanate of Sulu claimants, nullifying a $14.9 billion award that was granted by a court in Madrid in 2022, state-run news agency Bernama reported Wednesday.
The Paris Court of Appeal annulled the purported “Final Award” from Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa, and ordered the claimants to pay Malaysia €200,000 in costs.
The court ruled that Stampa has no jurisdiction over the issue of the “Final Award,” and there is no valid arbitration agreement binding on Malaysia.
“As a result, the Court annulled the purported 'Final Award' in its entirety. Malaysia trusts that this victory will put an end to all the baseless attempts from the so-called Sulu claimants (and their litigation funder, Therium) to extort money and assets from the people of Malaysia,” according to a statement by the Sulu Special Secretariat War Room.
Malaysia will continue to "vigorously defend itself against any further legal action initiated by the so-called Sulu claimants," it added.
The Paris Court of Appeal previously refused to recognize or enforce the award in 2023, which was upheld by the French Supreme Court in 2024.
The case stems from eight Filipino nationals, claiming descent from the Sulu Sultanate, seeking arbitration in Spain from Malaysia over claiming Sabah has belonged to their sultanate for centuries and was only leased to Malaysia.
