The Award

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The arbitration court in Luxembourg ruled in favor of the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu awarding them 14.9 billion US Dollars, representing unpaid rent for Sabah. Malaysia has de facto control over Sabah but the court's decision legally established Sabah's ownership, that of the Sultanate. The court issued seizure order against Malaysian assets overseas, including Petronas, a Malaysian state oil firm. The Philippine claim over Sabah is now standing on the less watery ground, eversince the sovereign right over Sabah was assigned to the Philippines by the Sultanate via a 1962 accord.

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