Kuala Lumpur: The Federal Court has scheduled April 17 to hear Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) application for leave to appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision that reduced the bond payment for its former vice-president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin from RM10 million to RM100,000 in a breach of party bond case.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, PKR's lawyer, Navpreet Singh, confirmed that Federal Court deputy registrar Husna Dzulkifly set the hearing date during a case management session last Monday. He also mentioned that all parties involved have been directed to file their written submissions by April 2, with another case management session scheduled for April 7 to update the court on compliance.

PKR filed its appeal on January 8, seeking to reinstate the High Court's ruling requiring Zuraida to pay RM10 million for breaching the bond. On December 11, the appellate court's three-man bench, led by Justice Datuk See Mee Chun, upheld the High Court's ruling that Zuraida had breached the bond binding her to the party but reduced the amount from RM10 million to RM100,000.

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur had, on June 23, ordered Zuraida, who is the former Ampang Member of Parliament, to pay RM10 million after ruling in favor of PKR in a lawsuit against her. Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir found the bond to be a valid and binding contract.

In 2020, PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, on behalf of the party, initiated the suit, claiming Zuraida breached the bond she had signed. The terms of the bond required Zuraida to pay PKR RM10 million within seven days of winning an election on the PKR ticket should she resign from the party, join another political party, or become an independent representative.

In her defense, Zuraida argued that she was compelled to sign the bond with the party to be able to stand for election as a candidate in the 14th General Election in 2018.