KOTA TINGGI: The self-proclaimed Sulu heirs, who are staking a claim on the Malaysian government, are likely being exploited by a western country.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Legal and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said she was not dismissing a possibility that the heirs to the defunct Sulu sultanate were being "influenced by certain western groups" in pressuring the Malaysian government with their exorbitant demands.
Azalina did not go into details on the reasons behind her theory, but stated the US$16 billion (RM73.46 billion), claims were a ridiculous amount.
She also revealed that the Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun recently received a disrespectful letter from the lawyers representing the Sulu heirs.
"The letter not only claimed rights over Sabah, but also demanded compensation from Malaysia. The initial claim amounting to US$14.92 billion (RM68.50 billion) has now increased to US$16 billion (RM73.46 billion) due to alleged interest.
"The Attorney-General responded to the letter, while emphasising that Malaysia's status as a sovereign and independent Islamic country should not be underestimated," she told reporters after visiting the construction site of the new Pengerang Court project in Bandar Penawar near here today.
The Pengerang member of parliament also questioned the actions of the Sulu heirs in not filing a claim at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands, but instead choosing to pursue it via the Commercial Arbitration Court.
"I challenge them (Sulu heirs) if they really want to lay claim on their so-called rights over this territory (Sabah), go claim it at the ICJ.
"I see this as a tactic for them to get money from Malaysia by using the business law platform through the Commercial Arbitration Court.
"I see that these Sulu heirs are being used by a certain group in western countries just to make a demand and they expect Malaysia to pay them," she said.
Azalina added that Malaysia will examine the decision of the Paris Court of Appeal, which will make a "partial award" decision regarding the Sulu heirs' claim.
"I informed the lawyers that if the Sulu heirs lose their claim, Malaysia will have to claim to reimburse costs," she said.
On May 9, Azalina had said that the self proclaimed heirs of the late Sulu sultanate should take their claims of sovereignty over Sabah to the ICJ if they have proof.
She had said that the ICJ would be the platform to argue the case as the matter was not a commercial issue but one of sovereignty.