The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is replacing investors Len Wolman and Sol Kerzner with a Malaysian-based company experienced in building world-class gaming resorts.

The tribe, which aims to build a resort casino in the town of Middleborough, announced earlier this week it would work with a new partner, Arakana Limited, which is a wholly owned affiliate of Kien Huat, an investment company owned by the Lim family trust. Lim Kok Thay and some of his family are trust beneficiaries.

Kien Huat, in turn, maintains a substantial interest in the Genting Group, which has a combined stock market capitalization of $26 billion and helped the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation build the Foxwoods Resort Casino here in Connecticut. The investor group also helped build the Seneca Niagra Casino in New York.

"We are extremely excited about this new partnership," tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said in a statement issued Sunday. "This is a very positive development for our tribe and we look forward to bringing good jobs and economic development to both the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the near future."

Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey said the tribe has also agreed in principle to sever ties with Kerzner of Kerzner International of the Bahamas and Wolman of the Waterford Group in Waterford. The two investors had helped the Mohegan Tribe build Mohegan Sun.

In June, the Mashpee tribe decided not to reaffirm a development contract that had been negotiated with Wolman and Kerzner.

"We typically do not comment on contracts due to the confidentiality provisions in them," said Diana Piciotta, spokeswoman for Wolman and Kerzner.

Wolman and Kerzner own about 500 acres of land in Middleborough. Piciotta would not comment on the possible fate of that property.

Mashpee Wampanoag tribal leaders hope the new partnership reinvigorates the tribe's stalled casino plans, even though the state Legislature has not yet approved casino gambling.

In May, Cromwell's predecessor, Glenn Marshall, was sentenced to nearly three-and-a-half years in prison for embezzling tribal funds and violating campaign laws while working with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

An Associated Press report was included in this story.