KUALA LUMPUR: PKR has sued its former vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin for RM10mil, saying that she breached a bond that bound her to the party.
Secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, suing on behalf of PKR, filed the suit through the law firm of Messrs William Leong & Co at the High Court registry on Monday (Sept 28).
Zuraida, 52, was named as the sole defendant.
In the statement of claim, Saifuddin said Zuraida executed a bond where she bound herself to pay the party a sum of RM10mil in accordance with the terms and conditions that had been set.
The conditions of the bond included the defendant agreeing to pay the party RM10mil no later than seven days upon the occurrence of such events as the resignation of the defendant from the party or joining any other political party or being an independent elected representative after the defendant had won the election on a PKR ticket.
According to Saifuddin, on Feb 24, Zuraida, together with 10 other PKR MPs, announced her resignation from the party without resigning from her elected post of Ampang MP.
He said Zuraida, together with the other MPs, Parti Pribumi Bersatu, Barisan Nasional, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak and others then formed a new bloc known as Perikatan Nasional.
This caused the Pakatan Harapan government to collapse, allowing Perikatan to take over the reins. Zuraida was appointed a minister in the new government.
On the same day, PKR’s leadership approved a resolution to terminate Zuraida’s membership in the party with immediate effect.
Saifuddin, in his capacity as the secretary-general, issued a certificate dated July 24 to confirm that Zuraida’s party membership has been terminated.
PKR claimed to have issued a letter of demand dated Aug 7 which required Zuraida to pay the RM10mil in accordance with the terms of the bond.
The notice of demand was published in the party’s newspaper and portal Suara Keadilan on July 29.
Saifuddin said Zuraida had failed, refused and neglected to pay the sum or any part thereof, and therefore he was entitled to claim the sum on behalf of the party from her.
The plaintiff said he relied on the provisions of Section 71 of the Contracts Act 1950 to establish its right to recover compensation from the defendant.
He further said the defendant enjoyed the benefits of having been elected as the party’s candidate and winning the Ampang MP seat and therefore it was unjust for the defendant to retain the benefits without paying compensation for the support she had received.
The plaintiff is seeking for the defendant to pay the party RM10mil under the bond, or alternatively, the sum of RM12,049,459.20 – which is inclusive of RM2,049,459.20 for remuneration received by the defendant as an MP and minister for housing and local government – under Section 71 of the Act.
The plaintiff is also seeking interests at a rate of 5% per annum from the date of the writ of summons until the full and final settlement, costs and other reliefs deemed fit by the court.
The matter has been fixed for case management before deputy registrar Norhatini Abd Hamid on Oct 27.
In an immediate statement, Zuraida claimed the lawsuit was “an absurd claim to court” and “utterly frivolous”.
“Bankrupt of ideas for the improvement of the rakyat, they now rely on sensationalism and cheap publicity stunts” she said.
Zuraida added that in a democracy, elected representatives were free to leave their political parties and she was sacked for this.
“I left PKR because it no longer focused on the welfare of the people but on the prime ministerial ambitions of one man.
“Their clamour to seize the prime minister’s position could be seen by the whole country during the 22-month of Pakatan rule and now in the midst of coronavirus pandemic.
“To have stayed on in such a thoughtless party would have been against my conscience,” she said. -The Star