KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Orang Asli settlers from the Jakun tribe has successfully overturned a court order issued in 2023 regarding the sale of 57 condominium units in Lanai Gurney, Jalan Bukit Keramat, which were held under the Linggiu Valley Orang Asli (Jakun) Trust Fund.

In a ruling yesterday, Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong granted the Orang Asli’s originating summons against RHB Trustees Bhd, the trustee managing the fund.

The High Court also ordered that the sale and transfer of the 57 condominium units, held under strata title, must be sold at market value and through an open tender or public auction.

Additionally, the court ordered that independent consultants, including lawyers, valuers, and estate agents, oversee the sale and transfer process.

Lawyer Rabia Abd Halim, assisted by Siti Zabedah Kasim, who represented the Orang Asli, confirmed the ruling when contacted.

In the originating summons filed on July 16 last year, the Orang Asli claimed that RHB Trustees had been negligent and failed to inform them about the sale or obtain their consent.

The Orang Asli said the sale order, dated June 20, 2023, for the sale of the 57 condominium units was unfair and unjust.

They said the property’s total market value was RM17.1 million, according to the valuation report.

However, they claimed an agreement between the trustee and the real estate agent inflated the price to RM19 million, with RM12 million directed to the trust fund and RM7 million earmarked for renovation costs.

“The RM7 million was given to the real estate agent ostensibly to renovate the property, but instead it was an attempt to deprive the Orang Asli of their rights,” the applicants said in the grounds of application.

The applicants insisted that the sale should be conducted through a public auction or open tender, with the process regulated by the court, as the properties were intended for the benefit of the Orang Asli.