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THE Federal Court has dismissed an application by Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to review an earlier ruling that permitted Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to proceed with its challenge against a reduced financial penalty in a party bond dispute.
A three-member bench chaired by Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang ruled that the apex court would only entertain review applications under special and exceptional circumstances to prevent injustice.
Delivering a unanimous decision alongside judges Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, she said the earlier panel’s amendments to the drafted legal questions were intended to assist the court in determining the issues before hearing the merits of the appeal.
“In our view, the amendments to the questions were aimed at finding an appropriate resolution for the appeal and to serve as guidance for future cases based on the merits of the facts in this case.
“By refining the original questions, it did not materially alter the issues placed before the Federal Court panel and did not constitute an excess of jurisdiction in this matter,” she said.
The court also ordered Zuraida, a former PKR vice-president, to pay RM50,000 in costs to the party.
The legal dispute stems from PKR’s claim that Zuraida breached the terms of a party bond, which required her to pay RM10 million if she resigned from the party, joined another political party or became an independent after winning an election under its banner.
On June 24 last year, the Federal Court granted PKR leave to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling that reduced the sum payable by Zuraida from RM10 million to RM100,000. That leave was a prerequisite for the case to be heard at the apex court.
Earlier, on December 11, 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s finding that Zuraida had breached the bond but lowered the penalty.
The High Court had previously ruled in favour of PKR on June 23, 2023, ordering her to pay RM10 million after determining that the bond constituted a valid and binding contract.
The suit was filed by Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on behalf of PKR.
In her defence, Zuraida, who was the former Member of Parliament for Ampang, claimed that she had been compelled to sign the bond as a condition for contesting under the party’s ticket in the 2018 general election.
Case management to fix a hearing date for PKR’s appeal is scheduled to take place tomorrow. - April 7, 2026