KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must address the unfounded claims from the United Tausug Citizens (UTC) over Sabah, which pose a potential threat to 16 per cent of the national budget, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
"Malaysia recently faced a baseless claim from the 'United Tausug Citizens' demanding US$15 billion and recognition over Sabah. Such demands threaten the integrity of sovereign states and the principles of justice.
"The UTC's threat to sue Malaysia in the US is alarming. We must address these spurious claims that risk 16 per cent of our national budget and exploit arbitration for profit, akin to extortion schemes," she said in a post on X app today.
UTC has become the latest to claim to be the "rightful custodians of the Sultanate of Sulu Territory."
The group had requested the Malaysian government to immediately pay US$15 billion in "cession money" and recognise UTC as "a sovereign and independent state kingdom."
The group had also further threatened to commence legal action against Malaysia in the United States.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor described the claim by UTC or any group on Sabah as nothing but a frivolous attempt to disrupt the state's peace and it is tantamount to threatening the sovereignty of the nation.
Meanwhile, in the same post, Azalina shared that the Sulu case and the risks of third-party litigation funding (TPLF) to state sovereignty was discussed during the 2024 Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting and in Paris.
This, she said, as TPLF often prioritised profit over justice, challenging the core purpose of the legal system.