KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The High Court here has today ordered former Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to pay RM10 million to PKR for breaching a bond she had signed with the party.

One of the lawyers representing PKR, Navpreet Singh, told Malay Mail that in a decision delivered via a Zoom video call earlier, Justice Datuk Akhtar Tahir found that the bond was a valid and binding contract.

"The court was of the view that the RM10 million was not disproportionate but a reasonable sum to act as a deterrence to prevent party members from acting against the party’s interests, and that any less sum would not be a deterrence,” he said.

In 2020, PKR sued Zuraida for breaking a bond by leaving the party after winning a seat in the 2018 general election under the party ticket.

During the trial, Zuraida argued that the bond's terms went against her constitutional freedom of association.

In reply, PKR said the bond was applicable under Section 71 of the Contracts Act, and that it had the right to claim compensation from the benefits Zuraida enjoyed as Ampang MP, in addition to the benefits she received during her tenure as a former housing and local government minister.

PKR was represented by Navpreet and lawyers William Leong and Chiew Choon Man.

News portal Free Malaysia Today reported that Zuraida was represented by lawyer Nurul Najwa Zainuddin.