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THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has dismissed a RM12.5 million lawsuit filed by senior lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla against Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) and several of its senior leaders, ruling that his legal services were provided voluntarily and without any binding agreement for payment.
Justice Datuk Akhtar Tahir found no basis for Haniff’s claim, stating that the legal assistance he rendered to BERSATU from 2016 to 2020 was given “on a voluntary basis” during the party’s formation, and not pursuant to any contractual agreement.
“This is evidence that when the party was founded, many individuals, including lawyers, provided services voluntarily,” the judge said in a brief ruling. “One of the lawyers involved testified that the issue of payment never arose for the services rendered.”
He said the evidence demonstrated that Haniff’s role—advising on the establishment of BERSATU and related legal matters—was part of a joint effort to set up the party for the benefit of the public, and not under any fee-based contract.
Justice Akhtar also noted that Haniff had not raised the issue of payment nor submitted any bills throughout the period in question, with his first invoice only issued in January 2021—almost a year after BERSATU’s departure from the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
“This supports the defendants’ assertion that there was no agreement to pay for the services,” he said. “The bill came only later, and the defendants took no action because no agreement had ever been reached.”
The court held that Haniff’s services were provided without expectation of compensation, and subsequently ordered him to pay RM150,000 in costs to the political party. - August 25, 2025