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Spanish court convicts arbitrator who awarded US$15 billion to Sultan of Sulu’s heirs in Malaysia land feud case
- Gonzalo Stampa was accused by a Spanish state prosecutor and Malaysia of failing to comply with a Madrid ruling to drop the case by instead moving it to a Paris court
- In 2022, Stampa awarded US$14.9 billion to the Sultan of Sulu’s heirs, who have sought to enforce the award against Malaysian state-owned assets around the world
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A Spanish arbitrator who awarded US$15 billion to the descendants of a former sultan in a land dispute with Malaysia dating back to the 19th century has been convicted of contempt of court, it was announced on Monday, a significant victory in Malaysia’s efforts to annul the case.
Gonzalo Stampa was accused by the Spanish state prosecutor and Malaysia of failing to comply with a Madrid court ruling to drop the case by instead moving it to a court in Paris.
Stampa was sentenced to six months in jail and barred from operating for one year, according to the ruling.
In February 2022, Stampa awarded US$14.9 billion to the Sultan of Sulu’s heirs, who have since sought to enforce the award against Malaysian state-owned assets around the world.
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Malaysia has obtained a stay on the case in France, but the ruling remains enforceable globally under a UN arbitration treaty.
“Congratulations to all Malaysians! The efforts by this [government] in addressing and putting a stop to the Sulu Fraud have not been in vain,” Law Minister Azalina Othman Said wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The dispute stems from an 1878 deal between European colonists and the Sultan of Sulu for use of his territory, which spanned parts of the southern Philippines and present-day Malaysia on the island of Borneo.
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