First lawsuit filed in Malaysia over MH370
A Malaysian family has sued the government and Malaysia Airlines for negligence in the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370.
This is believed to be the first lawsuit filed over the disaster.
The suit was filed in a Malaysian court on Friday by lawyers on behalf of the two underage sons of Mr Jee Jing Hang, who was on board the ill-fated flight.
The Jee family is suing the airlines for breach of contract, saying the national carrier failed in its contractual responsibility to deliver Mr Jee to his destination.
Negligence
The family is also suing Malaysia’s government, civil aviation authorities, immigration department and air force for negligence.
"Our clients are after the truth. We have confidence in our judiciary system that this suit will be heard and dealt with fairly," a statement by the family's legal team said.
Mr Gary Chong, one of the lawyers, said the family would seek damages but declined to specify a figure.
Extensive search
MH370 inexplicably disappeared on March 8 with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
No trace of it has been found despite an extensive search.
The chances of success for the lawsuit were not immediately clear.
Aviation experts told AFP that under international law it is an airline’s responsibility to prove it was not to blame for an accident.
The lack of evidence could complicate that task for the carrier.
Source: AFP
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