PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak High Court has dismissed two applications filed by national oil company Petronas to postpone or stay the hearing of a suit brought by Petroleum Sarawak Bhd, the state’s sole gas aggregator.
Judicial commissioner Faridz Gohim Abdullah rejected the applications and confirmed that the case will be heard on June 11, the
Dayak Daily reported.
Faridz ruled that no special circumstances had been presented to justify a stay or adjournment.
“The hearing of the case should not be further delayed,” he was quoted as saying.
Petros is suing to restrain Petronas from utilising funds of RM7.95 million received under a bank guarantee previously given by Petros in respect of the supply of gas.
Petros contends that Petronas’s demand for payment under the bank guarantee was “unconscionable” or “unlawful”.
In April, Faridz dismissed an application by Petronas to suspend all legal proceedings on grounds that Petronas had failed to show the existence of any sufficiently exceptional or compelling grounds to stay the proceedings.
In October last year, Petronas had called on the bank guarantee after demanding payment of RM28,136,403.08 from Petros for gas supplied.
Petros filed its suit against Petronas on Oct 15, 2024.
The Sarawak state-owned oil company simultaneously sought an ex-parte interim injunction to restrain Petronas from pursuing the payment and receiving monies under the bank guarantee.
However, Faridz ruled that Petros’s injunction application had become “redundant” as Maybank Islamic Bhd had already paid Petronas on the guarantee.
