Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 6): The High Court has fixed Nov 19 to deliver its decision on Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin's application to strike out a RM10 million bond suit for leaving her former party PKR last year, and now with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Seri Latifah Mohd Tahar fixed the date after hearing submissions from both parties where PKR was represented by its secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who was suing on behalf of the party.

“After hearing submissions from both parties, the court has fixed Nov 19 at 3pm to deliver its decision on Enclosure 10 (Zuraida's striking-out application),” Latifah said.

The outcome and date was confirmed with theedgemarkets.com by Zuraida's counsel Muhammad Nizamuddin Abd Hamid, who appeared with Nurul Najwa Zainuddin.

Senior counsel Ranjit Singh along with Navpreet Singh and Chiew Choon Man appeared for Saifuddin.

Zuraida filed the striking-out application in February, where the minister claimed the PKR suit through Saifuddin stipulates no cause of action and the implementation of the bond is against public policy, the concept of parliamentary democracy and ultra vires (beyond the law) with the freedom of association stipulated under Article 10.

She further argued that the PKR party constitution itself gives freedom to its members to resign without imposing any penalty, and so the action is meant as PKR's revenge against her, especially by party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and it is using the court to get "unjust enrichment".

Saifuddin on Sept 28, 2020 initially filed the suit via law firm Messrs William Leong & Co against Zuraida to claim for her to pay the party RM10 million based on established terms and conditions of the agreement in the bond.

The terms and conditions of the bond include the defendant agreeing to pay the party RM10 million no later than seven days upon her resignation from PKR, joining any other political party or being an independent elected representative after Zuraida won the election on a PKR ticket.

Besides the RM10 million, PKR is seeking from Zuraida, a former vice-president of the party, RM2.049 million, the remuneration she received while being a PKR member of Parliament (MP) and a minister under the previous Pakatan Harapan administration.

Edited BySurin Murugiah
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