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New Straits Times

[UPDATED] Paris court concludes hearing on Sulu award dispute, decision expected Dec 9

KUALA LUMPUR: The Paris Court of Appeal has reserved its decision until Dec 9 on Malaysia's bid to annul the US$14.9 billion (RM70 billion) final award in the arbitration case filed by individuals claiming to be heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, in a statement, said the court concluded its hearing on the merits for the annulment of the final award in the case. "During the hearing, the claimants attempted to postpone the proceedings to enable them to respond to the written opinion of the Public Prosecutor of France. "However, the court did not allow the motion for postponement and continued with the proceedings," she said. Azalina said Malaysia continues to place its confidence in the French judicial process and hopes the decision will bring a definitive end to what she described as illegal global enforcement attempts by the so-called Sulu claimants. The hearing comes after the French Court of Cassation on Nov 6 last year upheld a previous ruling that denied enforcement of the Partial Award, which had affirmed the arbitrator's jurisdiction in the case. Azalina said the government remains firmly committed to defending Malaysia's sovereignty, sovereign immunity, and national interests against all unlawful challenges. "Malaysia is also working to promote a global framework that places transparency at the centre of third-party litigation funding, to ensure such mechanisms are not misused as instruments of lawfare against sovereign states. "International arbitration must be protected from attempts to extort sovereign states under the guise of arbitration claims," she added. She said the government would continue to take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of international arbitration from exploitation.