Federal Court sets Jan 25-29 to hear Petronas, Sarawak govt’s petitions

The Federal Court in Malaysia has scheduled hearings for January 25-29 to address petitions from Petronas and the Sarawak government. The cases challenge state and federal laws concerning oil and gas matters. Justice Rhodzariah Bujang announced that the court would hear the petitions in the order filed, but left it to the panel to decide if the Sarawak government's preliminary issue should be addressed first.

This issue pertains to the validity of the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954, which affects the territorial waters of Sarawak. Both parties were instructed to submit submissions by January 11, with reply submissions due by January 18, and case management scheduled for January 12. The Sarawak government has informed the court it will file an application under Rule 23 of the Federal Court's Rules 1995 within 14 days, concerning its preliminary issue.

Petronas had initially requested its petition be heard first, followed by the order of filing, but the state government contends its petition should be heard first. The national oil and gas company filed its petition on January 10, receiving leave from the Federal Constitution on March 16, while the Sarawak government submitted its petition on February 23.