Semantan Estate seeks Duta Enclave sale or current value compensation

KUALA LUMPUR: Duta Enclave land developers Semantan Estate has filed a new lawsuit seeking either the sale of the property or compensation based on its current market value, estimated between RM12 billion and RM13 billion. The company, currently in members' voluntary liquidation, maintains it is the beneficial owner of the 263.272-acre site despite prior rulings preventing it from regaining possession or restoring the registered title.

In last week's High Court statement of claim, Semantan Estate alleges the government continues to occupy and profit from the land, despite a 2009 court ruling declaring the acquisition void. Represented by its liquidator, Jim Lai, Semantan Estate is suing the government, federal lands commissioner, and five other officials responsible for land administration.

The company asserts the government seized the land between 1956 and 1958, ostensibly for a diplomatic enclave, but transformed it for other uses, including government offices, cultural and commercial buildings, roads, and infrastructure. Semantan Estate argues that a valuation based on the 1956 value would deprive the company of nearly the entire economic value of the property, which it estimates at RM1.58 million at that time.

In addition to seeking compensation, Semantan Estate is seeking equitable compensation for alleged breach of trust, damages for breaching property rights under the Federal Constitution, and restitution for benefits obtained through the government's continued occupation and use of the land. In June 2025, the Court of Appeal overturned a previous High Court ruling directing the land registrar to transfer the title to Semantan Estate, ordering an assessment of the land's value as of December 3, 1956, with interest at 6% per annum under the former Land Acquisition Enactment.

The Federal Court denied Semantan Estate leave to appeal in November 2025. The company argues its latest claims are distinct from earlier proceedings, which sought to compel the government to transfer the title. The case is set for its first case management hearing before High Court judge Anand Ponnudurai on November 3.