PKR files RM10 mln suits against Baru Bian, 5 former MPs, 10 ex-assemblymen over Sheraton Move

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By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, March 6: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is suing former Selangau MP Baru Bian, five other former MPs and 10 former assemblymen, seeking RM10 million each for allegedly breaching a party bond after defecting during the 2020 “Sheraton Move” that led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government.

According to New Straits Times and The Edge, the suits were filed by PKR secretary-general Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh on behalf of the party against Baru Bian (Selangau), Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar (Bandar Tun Razak), Datuk Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal), Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon (Batu Pahat), Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota) and Datuk R Santhara Kumar (Segamat).

According to court documents filed by legal firm Nav & Co on Feb 19, the cases are scheduled for case management at the High Court on March 27.

Separately, on Feb 27, PKR also filed lawsuits against 10 former state assemblypersons: Abdul Yunus Jamhari (Kuala Kurau), Azman Nasrudin (Lunas), Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya), Chong Fat Full (Pemanis), Daroyah Alwi (Sementa), Haniza Mohd Talha (Lembah Jaya), Hilman Idham (Gombak Setia), Muhammad Jailani Khamis (Rembia), Robert Ling Kui Ee (Sidam) and Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh).

Notably absent from the list is former PKR deputy president and Gombak MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

PKR’s claims are based on a legal bond signed by all candidates prior to the 2018 general election. Under the agreement, candidates who won their seats on a PKR ticket were required to pay RM10 million within seven days if they later resigned, joined another party or became independent.

Fuziah said the defendants’ exit from the party on Feb 24, 2020 was “public knowledge” and directly contributed to the fall of the 22-month PH administration.

She said the party had invested substantial resources in building its brand and supporting the candidates during the election campaign, only for their subsequent political “realignment” to change the governing majority and undermine the voters’ mandate.

Following their move, Baru later joined a Sarawak-based party, while the other five defendants backed Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the Sheraton Move, which eventually led to the formation of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

PKR officially terminated their memberships on March 11, 2020 after they failed to respond to demands for payment under the bond.

Fuziah added that the resignations or realignment of the defendants after the election altered the composition of the governing majority at both federal and state levels, affecting the party’s ability to carry out the mandate given by voters.

In a related case, former PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail filed a similar lawsuit in September 2020 against then Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who also left the party in support of Muhyiddin.

The Court of Appeal later ordered Zuraida to pay PKR RM100,000. The party has since appealed to the Federal Court seeking a higher amount. — DayakDaily