KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — The appeal hearing for former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, seeking to overturn the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling ordering her to pay RM10 million to PKR for breaching her bond with the party, has been rescheduled to Sept 23.

PKR’s counsel Navpreet Singh, who confirmed the matter via WhatsApp, said the proceedings will be conducted at 9 am in open court on the said date.

On June 23, last year, Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir, who allowed PKR’s lawsuit after finding that the bond was a binding contract and therefore valid, also ordered the former Ampang member of parliament to pay RM50,000 in legal costs.

The then PKR secretary-general, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, filed the suit on Sept 28, 2020, on behalf of the party to claim RM10 million from Zuraida for the alleged breach of the bond.

Subsequently, on July 8, last year, Zuraida filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the ruling.

In the statement of claim, Saifuddin said Zuraida had executed a bond that bound her to pay the party the said sum under the terms and conditions set therein.

The terms include, among other things, that Zuraida agrees to pay the party a sum of RM10 million not later than seven days if she wins an election on a PKR ticket and then resigns, if she joins any other political party, or becomes an independent elected representative.

Zuraida, in her defence, claimed that she was forced to sign the bond with the party to become its candidate in the 14th General Election in 2018.

In his decision, Justice Akhtar said Zuraida’s contention that she signed the bond under duress or coercion was baseless. — Bernama