Spanish court convicts arbitrator who awarded US$15 billion to Sultan of Sulu’s heirs in Malaysia land feud case

Stampa was sentenced to six months in jail and barred from operating for one year, according to the ruling.

Spain charges mediator who awarded Sulu heirs US$15 billion in Malaysia land row

Malaysia paid a token sum annually to the sultan’s heirs to honour the agreement but stopped in 2013, prompting the heirs to seek arbitration, which has been funded by Therium, a London-based firm that provides financing for litigation and arbitration cases.

Sulu sultan’s heirs target Malaysian government properties in Paris

Stampa’s fees after delivering the award came to about US$2.3 million, court documents showed. The heirs, who suffered a setback in June 2023 after a Paris court upheld the Malaysian government’s challenge against a partial award, are also trying to strengthen their case in Madrid.

They filed a criminal case against the Spanish justice system in December 2023, claiming that a court clerk in Madrid improperly sent an email ordering Stampa to step down from the case.