KUALA LUMPUR — The ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal to completely annul the ‘Final Award’ in the claim filed by those claiming to be heirs of the Sulu Sultanate against Sabah has been hailed as a major victory for Malaysia.
the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, described the decision not only as a legal triumph but also as a win for the dignity, sovereignty, and rights of all Malaysians, especially the people of Sabah.
“On behalf of the War Room Special Secretariat for Sulu, I would like to extend my highest appreciation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, fellow Cabinet members of the MADANI Government, the legal team at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), Wisma Putra, the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) at the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM), and all government agencies that worked hand-in-hand to carry out this mandate for the benefit of the people and the nation,” she said in a post on Facebook today.
“This victory demonstrates the Madani Government’s commitment to defending the nation with principle and a strong foundation in the rule of law,” Azalina added.
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled to annul the ‘Final Award’ issued by arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa on February 28, 2022, and ordered the Sulu claimants to pay Malaysia €200,000 in legal costs.
The War Room Special Secretariat for Sulu, acting on behalf of the Malaysian Government, confirmed that the Paris court’s decision was communicated on December 9, with the official judgment received by the government in the early hours of this morning.
The court found that Stampa did not have the jurisdiction to issue the ‘Final Award’ as there was no valid arbitration agreement binding Malaysia.
Previously, the Paris Court of Appeal had rejected the recognition and enforcement of the ‘Partial Award’ on June 6, 2023, a decision which was upheld by the French Supreme Court on November 6, 2024.
Earlier, eight Filipino nationals, claiming to be heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate, initiated arbitration proceedings in Spain, demanding compensation amounting to billions of dollars from Malaysia in relation to Sabah.
In March 2019, a court in Madrid appointed Stampa as the arbitrator for the case. On February 28, 2022, Stampa issued the ‘Final Award’ amounting to USD 14.9 billion in favour of the claimants, through an arbitration process deemed unlawful as his appointment had been annulled by the Spanish courts. — December 10, 2025