KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pic) has denied any links to Sulu heirs and that he Was in Spain when they initiated court action against Malaysia in 2019.

       The Parti Warisan president said that both Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Datuk Seri Anifah Aman have alleged that he was in Spain when he (Shafie) was chief minister (2018-2020) at the time the Sulu heirs were making their claim.

       "Of late, Yong and Anifah have been trying to insinuate that I had a personal involvement with the heirs by suggesting that I was in Spain when the case came up in 2019.

       "I was never in Spain (at that time) and to my knowledge, no Sabah officials went to Spain over the case. I believe (at that time) Wisma Putra and the Attorney General's Chambers handled the matter and stopped the bid by the Sulu heirs to get a judgement in Madrid.

       He said the two should carefully examine the extensive and clear explanation by Wisma Putra and the AGC on March 2, 2022, and by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar on March 10, 2022, on the matter following the Paris Arbitration Court's decision to award RM62bil to the so-called heirs of the Sulu sultanate.

       It is clear from the explanation by Wisma Putra and the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) that Malaysia had stopped an attempt by the so-called heirs to get a judgement in Spain.

       He also said it was curious that the case was moved to France by Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa who made the judgement in the Paris Arbitration Court in February 2022, which Putrajaya is now contesting.

       "It is very clear that the matter was handled by the Federal Government and neither Sabah nor I (as chief minister then) were involved," he added.

       Shafie said the issue was a matter of national sovereignty and should not be politicised.

       "As Sabahans, we must be united and protect our sovereignty," he said, adding that the Federal Government should prioritise the resolution of the issue proactively and not leave it on the backburner.

       He said whatever claims by the heirs, directly or indirectly, should not be entertained as Sabah is an independent country that became part of the Federation of Malaysia under the auspices of the United Nations.