KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 10): Two Sabah deputy chief ministers are among nine plaintiffs who have filed a suit against former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas for allegedly mishandling a claim over the north Borneo territory by descendants of the Sulu sultanate.

In a report on Monday (Oct 10), Free Malaysia Today (FMT) said the plaintiffs want a declaration that Thomas, who was the government's legal adviser between June 2018 and February 2020, committed misfeasance in public office.

FMT said that apart from Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, the other plaintiffs are Sabah ministers Datuk Jahid Jahim and Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin, as well as state assistant ministers Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Datuk Abidin Madingkir, Robert Tawfik, Datuk Julita Mojungki and Datuk Flovia Ng.

The suit was filed at the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Aug 16 while the legal papers were served on Thomas at his legal firm in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month.

In the statement of claim sighted by FMT, the plaintiffs want an injunction for Thomas to withdraw prejudicial statements and restrain him from making public remarks in relation to an arbitration award issued by Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa.

In February, a French arbitration court recorded Stampa's decision that Malaysia must pay RM62.59 billion to the descendants of the Sulu sultan for violating an 1878 agreement.

Malaysia is challenging the award made by Stampa, who first started the case in Madrid and later moved it to Paris.

The plaintiffs also want Thomas to pay US$14.92 billion (RM69.38 billion) as a result of his action, or inaction.