Although there appeared to be no evidence linking the Sulu descendants who were receiving the annual fees from Malaysia to the intruders of Lahad Datu in 2013, the Malaysian government ceased payments to them, rued the former attorney-general.

In his book, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness, published last year, Tommy Thomas (above) warned it could prove to be a costly decision.

Yesterday, it was reported that Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa instructed the Malaysian government to pay US$14.92 billion (RM62.59 billion) to the claimants.

This is due to a violation of the 1878 agreement signed by Sultan Jamal Al Alam, Baron de Overbeck, and the...