Man goes to Federal Court to reinstate Batu Puteh suit

Hatta Sanuri’s lawyers served the cause papers on the atorney-general’s chambers last week in a bid to revive his suit challenging the government’s decision on Batu Puteh. (AFP pic)

PUTRAJAYA: A man has gone to the Federal Court in a final attempt to revive his suit challenging the government’s decision to withdraw a review application before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the sovereignty of Batu Puteh.

Hatta Sanuri last week filed an application for leave to appeal against a Nov 15 Court of Appeal ruling that held he had no legal standing to file the action against the prime minister and government, who were named as respondents.

Senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly said Hatta’s lawyers served the cause papers on the attorney-general’s chambers last week.

“They submitted five questions of law to obtain leave for the Federal Court to hear the merit of his appeal,” he told FMT.

On Nov 15, a three-member Court of Appeal bench said Hatta’s suit was an abuse of the court process and his claim was non-justiciable.

On July 1 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed applications by the prime minister and the government to annul Hatta’s suit.

Hatta filed the suit in 2021, claiming he was affected by the former Pakatan Harapan government’s decision in 2019 to withdraw the application to review the ICJ award of sovereignty over Batu Puteh to Singapore.

He said the government had not provided any explanation for its withdrawal of the application, in light of “new evidence” that he said favoured Malaysia’s bid to overturn the ICJ decision.

He had sought a court declaration for the government to pay RM10 million in compensation to each Malaysian over the decision.

In 2008, the ICJ decided that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and South Ledge to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located.