Federal Court rejects Sabar bid to intervene in Sarawak petroleum rights case
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court today dismissed a Sabah-based non-governmental organisation’s bid to intervene in the Sarawak government’s constitutional challenge over its petroleum rights.
On July 22, 2022, the Federal Court rejected an intervention bid by Sabah-based NGO Sabar in the ongoing constitutional challenge by the Sarawak government regarding its petroleum rights. The three-member bench, led by Datuk Nordin Hassan, unanimously ruled that Sabar had no direct legal interest in Sarawak's petition. The judges included Datuk Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk P. Ravinthran.
Nordin read the court's judgment, stating that the outcome of Sarawak's petition would not impact Sabar's rights in its separate proceedings concerning Sabah's territorial and petroleum-related laws. The court emphasized that Sarawak's petition dealt with the Federal Court's exclusive original jurisdiction and required specific procedures for determining the validity of laws.
Sabar had sought to intervene, citing several constitutional questions that might affect Sabah. The organisation is currently pursuing its own originating summons before the Kota Kinabalu High Court against the federal government, challenging the constitutional validity of the Continental Shelf Act 1966 and Petroleum Mining Act 1966 in Sabah.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Mahkamah tolak permohonan NGO Sabah mencelah kes hak petroleum Sarawak freemalaysiatoday.com
