Malaysian Court Quashes London Casino's Bid To Recover Gambling Debt

A Malaysian court has quashed a London casino's bid to recover a gambling debt of more than 7 million ringgit (US$1.8 million) racked up by a senior politician in Malaysia's ruling party.

Osu Sukam, a former chief minister of the timber-rich Sabah state, chalked up the debt when the Ritz Hotel Casino in London allowed him to gamble on credit. The casino later obtained a judgment from a British to recover the debt.

Subsequently, the casino applied to a Malaysian high court to enforce the British court order on Osu. Osu, who resides in Sabah state, is a divisional leader in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling United Malays National Organization.

Malaysia's High Court Judge Ian Chin in his judgment on Tuesday said the British court order cannot be enforced in Malaysia, saying, "Malaysians must be protected from being enticed to gamble on credit."

"The only way to discourage this entrapment is to prevent such foreign judgment founded on gambling on credit from being registered and from being enforceable in Malaysia," Chin said in his judgment published on the court Web site.

It was not clear when Osu chalked up the debt or when the casino had obtained the court order in Britain.

Chin also said the court order, if enforced here, would allow "a foreign country to exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction."

"What is offensive and totally unfair is for the casino to allow someone to gamble on credit in order to make him lose not only his pants but the livelihood of his wife and children as in this case," Chin said.

"In fact I would suggest that a law should be enacted to allow a gambler to sue a casino for having enticed him to gamble beyond his means."

But Chin also had some harsh words for Osu, saying the former chief minister, who is a Muslim, did not deserve to be awarded costs for the hearing as he had "engaged in an activity that his religion frowns upon."

Court officials and Osu were not immediately available for comment. It was not immediately known if Osu would face any action from his ruling party over the issue.