[5][6][7] The case pertains to the disputed region of Sabah and a colonial-era agreement that allowed Britain to use of the Sultan's territory in exchange for an annual payment of US$5000.
The Malaysian government continued honoring the agreement until 2013 and stopped payment henceforth, leading to the arbitration case.
[9] Malaysia filed a suit with the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid, which annulled the appointment of Stampa.
On 28 February 2022, Stampa ruled in favor of the alleged descendants of sultan and ordered Malaysia to pay US$14.92 billion in settlement to the litigants.
In a 2021 article, Voss wrote that "there is a growing financial practice in Europe, which involves investing in lawsuits and arbitration proceedings in the hope of collecting a hefty share of the winnings.
[16] Reuters reported Elisabeth Mason, a lead co-counsel for the claimants, as saying that, "Therium conducted nine rounds of funding for the case, during which third-party investors repeatedly assessed its merits.
[17] In November 2023, the Madrid High Court filed criminal charges against Stampa over his role in awarding the $14.92 billion arbitration to Sulu claimants.
[19] Malaysia hailed Stampa's conviction as a landmark victory, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim saying the Government of Malaysia was confident that "we are now closer than ever to completely nullifying the sham and abusive final award amounting to approximately US$15 billion issued by Stampa, thus consigning the claimants’ flawed claims to history".