Public to get live access to Sabah 40pc revenue appeal at Kota Kinabalu court

KOTA KINABALU, September 29 - Residents of Sabah will have the opportunity to witness a Court of Appeal hearing on the constitutional 40 percent revenue entitlement through a live audiovisual transmission at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex. The event, scheduled for October 29, will enable the public to view proceedings from the court's conference hall as the appeal is heard within the courtroom.

The federal government's appeal against the High Court's October 17, 2025 decision, brought by the Sabah Law Society (SLS), will be the focal point of the proceedings. Former SLS president Datuk Roger Chin emphasized that this is not an online broadcast but a real-time experience for Sabahans to attend the court premises and follow the case concerning a significant constitutional matter.

The High Court had ordered the federal and Sabah governments to conduct a review of Sabah's special grant from 1974 to 2021, finding that the federal government had not properly conducted the periodic review under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution. The federal government appealed this decision, leading to a stay of execution pending the appeal.

Chin highlighted that this public viewing arrangement provides wider access to the hearing, which previously had limited seating inside the courtroom, aiming to foster an informed, peaceful, and engaged public in a constitutional question that belongs to all Sabahans. The appeal hearing is set to begin at 9 am on Thursday, October 29, at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex, with capacity and security restrictions in place.