PUTRAJAYA: Former PKR vice-president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin has been ordered to pay RM100,000 instead of the RM10mil initially imposed for breaching a bond with her former party.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, chaired by Justice See Mee Chun, upheld the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision finding Zuraida in breach of the bond but reduced the compensation amount, deeming it "unreasonable."
"Our finding is RM10mil is not a reasonable compensation. It cannot be construed as reasonable compensation. It is unreasonable and extravagant. But it does not absolve the appellant (Zuraida) from any liability," Justice See stated on Wednesday (Dec 11).
The panel included Justices Azman Abdullah and Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid.
Justice See noted that while the party was entitled to compensation due to Zuraida's breach, the RM10mil amount was excessive.
"We find the High Court judge may be wrong in allowing the respondent the RM10mil. But we cannot ignore the breach of the bond by the appellant. We vary it to RM100,000," she said.
The court also ordered PKR to pay RM40,000 in costs to Zuraida.
Zuraida was represented by lawyer Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, while lawyer Navpreet Singh acted for the respondent, PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
On June 23 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Zuraida to pay RM10mil to PKR for breaching the bond following her involvement in the Sheraton Move in 2020.
She was also ordered to pay RM50,000 in costs to PKR.
Justice Akhtar Tahir had ruled that the bond, signed by Zuraida on April 25, 2018, was a valid and binding contract.
He stated the RM10mil was reasonable to deter party members from acting against the party's interests.
Saifuddin sued Zuraida on behalf of PKR on Sept 28, 2020.
The claim stated Zuraida executed a bond to pay the party RM10mil under conditions such as resigning from the party, joining another political party, or becoming an independent representative after winning an election on a PKR ticket.
During the trial, Zuraida claimed she was forced to sign the bond to contest the 14th General Election on the party ticket in 2018, receiving documents a day before nomination day without an explanation of its terms and conditions.
