Semantan Estate files fresh suit seeking sale of RM13b Duta Enclave land or recompense

Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd has commenced a new legal action against the Malaysian federal government, demanding the sale or compensation for the 263.272-acre Duta Enclave in Kuala Lumpur, valued at RM12-13 billion.

The company, in liquidation, claims ownership and argues the land remains unjustly occupied by the government since a void acquisition from the colonial era.

Despite past legal setbacks, Semantan Estate is now pursuing claims based on trust law and equitable remedies, alleging constitutional breaches and unjust enrichment.

The case is scheduled for management on November 3.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd has initiated new legal proceedings against the federal government, seeking a court order to compel the sale of the 263.272-acre Duta Enclave in Kuala Lumpur and distribute the proceeds, or award compensation based on its current market value, estimated between RM12 billion and RM13 billion.

The company, which is in members’ voluntary liquidation and represented by liquidator Jim Lai, maintains that it remains the lawful beneficial owner of the prime land, despite earlier appellate rulings that barred it from regaining physical possession or securing a re-transfer of the registered land title.

In its statement of claim filed in the High Court through law firm AG Kalidas Doris & Nada, Semantan Estate asserted that the government continues to occupy and commercially benefit from the prime parcel, notwithstanding a definitive 2009 court judgment declaring that the original colonial-era acquisition was void from the outset, FMT reported.

The lawsuit names the federal government, the Federal Lands Commissioner, and five other federal land administrators and registrars as defendants.

The disputed site, acquired between 1956 and 1958 purportedly to establish a diplomatic quarter, was instead developed for other state purposes.

Today, the prime tract houses major administrative complexes, including the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, federal ministry offices, commercial developments, and vital road infrastructure.

Semantan Estate argues that Putrajaya holds the land, or at minimum its registered title, on constructive trust for the company and should be compelled to auction or sell the asset on the open market, with all net proceeds remitted to the plaintiff.

The company contended that awarding compensation pegged to the land’s 1956 historical valuation would strip it of virtually all economic value. Its provisional assessment of the site's value at the time of the original takeover stood at roughly RM1.58 million.

The plaintiff is also seeking equitable compensation for alleged breach of trust, general damages for the deprivation of constitutional property rights under Article 13 of the Federal Constitution, and restitution for unjust enrichment derived from the state's uninterrupted occupation over the past seven decades.

The fresh writ follows significant legal setbacks for the liquidator last year.

In June 2025, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court directive that had instructed the land registrar to re-register the title under Semantan Estate’s name.

The appellate bench instead directed that damages be assessed based on the land's value as of Dec 3, 1956, accompanied by statutory interest at 6 per cent per annum under the former Land Acquisition Enactment.

The Federal Court subsequently rejected the company's application for leave to appeal that decision in November 2025.

Semantan Estate maintains that its new action introduces distinct legal causes of action based on trust law, equitable remedies, and constitutional restitution, separate from its earlier administrative attempts to enforce title re-transfer.

The suit has been fixed for its first case management before High Court Judge Anand Ponnudurai on Nov 3.

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Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd 已对马来西亚联邦政府提起新的法律诉讼，要求出售或赔偿位于吉隆坡的占地 263.272 英亩的 Duta Enclave，该地价值 120 亿至 130 亿令吉。

该公司目前处于清算状态，声称拥有该土地的所有权，并辩称自殖民时代以来，政府通过无效征地程序一直非法占有该土地。

尽管过去在法律上遭遇挫折，Semantan Estate 现正依据信托法和衡平法救济提出索赔，指控存在违反宪法和不当得利的行为。

该案件定于11月3日进行管理。

吉隆坡，10 月 12 日讯——Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd 已对联邦政府提起新的法律诉讼，寻求法院命令强制出售位于吉隆坡的占地 263.272 英亩的 Duta Enclave，并分配所得款项，或根据其目前的市场价值（估计在 120 亿至 130 亿令吉之间）给予赔偿。

该公司目前处于成员自愿清算状态，由清算人吉姆·赖代表。该公司坚称，尽管之前的上诉裁决禁止其重新获得土地的实际占有权或重新转让已登记的土地所有权，但它仍然是这块黄金地段土地的合法受益所有人。

据 FMT 报道，Semantan Estate 通过 AG Kalidas Doris & Nada 律师事务所向高等法院提交的索赔声明中声称，尽管 2009 年法院已作出明确判决，宣布殖民时代的原始征地从一开始就无效，但政府仍然继续占用并从中获利。

该诉讼将联邦政府、联邦土地专员以及其他五名联邦土地管理人员和登记员列为被告。

这块有争议的土地，据称是在 1956 年至 1958 年间购得，目的是建立一个外交区，但实际上却被用于其他国家用途。

如今，这片黄金地段坐落着重要的行政综合体，包括吉隆坡法院大楼、联邦政府部门办公室、商业开发项目和重要的道路基础设施。

Semantan Estate 认为，布城以推定信托的方式持有该土地，或者至少持有其注册所有权，以造福该公司，布城应被强制拍卖或在公开市场上出售该资产，并将所有净收益汇给原告。

该公司辩称，若按该地1956年的历史估值支付赔偿金，将使其几乎丧失所有经济价值。该公司最初对该地块在被收购时的价值进行初步评估，约为158万令吉。

原告还要求就涉嫌违反信托义务获得公平赔偿，就根据联邦宪法第 13 条剥夺宪法财产权获得一般损害赔偿，并就该州在过去七十年间不间断的占领所获得的不当得利获得赔偿。

这份新的令状是在清算人去年遭遇重大法律挫折之后发布的。

2025 年 6 月，上诉法院推翻了高等法院的一项指令，该指令指示土地登记官将产权重新登记在 Semantan Estate 的名下。

上诉法庭则指示，损害赔偿应根据 1956 年 12 月 3 日的土地价值进行评估，并根据以前的《土地征用法》按年利率 6% 计算法定利息。

联邦法院随后于 2025 年 11 月驳回了该公司对该决定的上诉许可申请。

Semantan Estate 坚持认为，其新诉讼引入了基于信托法、衡平法救济和宪法恢复的独立法律诉讼理由，与之前强制执行所有权重新转移的行政尝试不同。

该诉讼案已定于 11 月 3 日在高等法院法官 Anand Ponnudurai 面前进行首次案件管理。

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