KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia on Friday said it will take legal action in the Netherlands to resist and set aside any attempt by the heirs of a former Southeast Asian sultan who are looking to enforce a $15 billion arbitration award against the Malaysian state.
“Malaysia will spare no expense in defending its sovereignty and its assets abroad wherever they may be situated,” law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in a statement.
The heirs of the former Sulu sultan on Thursday asked a Dutch court for permission to seize Malaysian assets in the Netherlands.
Some of Malaysia’s biggest companies have operations in the Netherlands, including state oil firm Petronas which is 100% owned by the government.
“Petronas’ assets are not assets belonging to the Government of Malaysia and it would be an abuse of the process of any court to seek enforcement against such assets,” Wan Junaidi said.
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty, Ed Davies)
