KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had last month filed suits against its former members of Parliament (MPs) and assemblypersons who defected from the party in the Sheraton move in February 2020, which led to the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan-led government.
On Feb 19, PKR filed a lawsuit at the High Court through Messrs Nav & Co, with secretary general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh naming former PKR MPs Baru Bian, Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, Datuk Mansor Othman, Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, and Datuk R Santhara Kumar.
Baru was then Selangau MP, Kamarudin MP for Bandar Tun Razak, Mansor MP for Nibong Tebal, Mohd Rashid MP for Batu Pahat, Saifuddin MP for Indera Mahkota, and Santhara Kumar MP for Segamat.
On Feb 27, PKR filed a lawsuit against assemblypersons Abdul Yunus Jamhari, Datuk Azman Nasrudin, Dr Afif Bahardin, Dr Chong Fat Full, Dr Daroyah Alwi, Haniza Mohd Talha, Muhammad Hilman Idham, Muhammad Jailani Khamis, Robert Ling Kui Ee, and Zulkifli Ibrahim.
Yunus was Kuala Kurau assemblyperson, Azman (Lunas), Afif (Seberang Jaya), Chong (Pemanis), Daroyah (Sementa), Haniza (Lembah Jaya), Hilman (Gombak Setia), Jailani (Rembia), Ling (Sidam) and Zulkifli (Sungai Acheh).
Missing from the list is former PKR deputy president and MP for Gombak, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.
The lawsuit aims to get back the RM10 million party bond these members signed when they ran in the 2018 election under PKR.
The suit is similar to the one filed against former Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who was also then housing and local government minister, in October 2020.
In Zuraida’s case, the High Court ordered her to pay the RM10 million bond, but the Court of Appeal later reduced it to RM100,000. PKR has appealed the decision at the Federal Court.
In its statement of claim (SOC) filed in February 2026, PKR said the defendants were bound by an agreement to run as party candidates in the May 9, 2018 general election, or 14th general election, for parliamentary or state seats that later formed the federal and several state governments.
Each of them, the SOC said, contested GE14 under the PKR’s membership and were elected as MPs and assemblypersons for the respective constituencies.
On or about Feb 24, 2020, it was publicly made known that each of the defendants had ceased to be a party member after having been elected. They thereafter are alleged to have aligned themselves with or supported a political coalition other than PKR.
PKR is seeking the return of the RM10 million bond from each former PKR MP and assemblypersons, or reasonable compensation under the Contracts Act 1950, plus interest, to be determined by the court.
Navpreet Singh of Messrs Nav & Co said the cases are set for case management on March 17 for the former MPs and March 27 for the former assemblypersons.