The former Sabah chief minister pointed out that he was not part of the federal Cabinet at the time and said he was not informed about Thomas’ letter.

“Don’t ask me, ask him (Thomas). I didn’t have the authority to direct the AG. If the then prime minister himself said he’s unaware (of the letter), what more the then chief minister.

“Ask Tommy Thomas,” he told reporters when queried about the matter at a press conference at the Warisan headquarters today.

Shafie was referring to the letter in which Thomas expressed regret that Malaysia had not paid the claimants since 2013 after the Lahad Datu intrusion. According to the letter, Thomas offered to settle the multi-billion dollar claim with a RM48,000 compensation payment.

Shafie maintained that there was no basis to the Sulu heirs’ claim and that Sabah’s sovereignty should be upheld.

“If we want to talk about history, Sabah was owned by the Brunei sultan. After coming under British rule, there was no more question about this (payments to the Sulu sultan),” said the Semporna MP.

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking urged chief minister Hajiji Noor to hold a special state assembly sitting if he also personally disagreed with the Sulu heirs’ claim.

He called on Hajiji to state his opinion on the matter as well as on Thomas’ letter.

Former prime minister Najib Razak had said the letter Thomas sent to the lawyers representing the Sulu sultan’s heirs in 2019 had put Malaysia’s assets at risk of seizure.

Najib called for Thomas to be prevented from leaving the country pending the resolution of the claim by the Sulu sultan’s heirs.

Recently, bailiffs seized Petronas’ two Luxembourg-registered subsidiaries on behalf of the sultan’s heirs.

However, the government obtained a stay order against the enforcement of the French arbitration court ruling that ordered it to pay US$14.92 billion to the heirs of the sultanate.

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