Zuraida said she was not given a choice and had to put her signature on the documents prepared by PKR in order to contest in the election.

“At the material time, I was coerced into signing the documents and was not given any option,” the former federal minister said in her witness statement tendered at the trial conducted online.

Zuraida, who was a three-term Ampang MP until her defeat in the recent general election, said at that time her focus was on serving her constituents and the people.

“The period before the election was an anxious time and I did not have the opportunity to carefully read the contents in the bond agreement before I signed,” she said, adding that the terms and conditions were not explained.

She said she was informed that she had to sign the documents as a condition to contest in the polls under the PKR ticket.

“I thought they were mundane documents to allow candidates to use the PKR platform to contest in the election,” she said. “I signed the documents as directed by the party.”

Zuraida said the terms and conditions in the bond papers were also unfair and illegal.

“I repeat, I did not sign any documents relating to the 14th general election out of my choice,” she said.

She said the RM10 million compensation sought was unfair and lopsided.

“It defies logic for PKR to spend RM10 million on me alone for the election. The plaintiff’s claim is baseless and a malicious attempt to make the party rich,” she said in urging the court to dismiss the suit.

In its statement of claim, PKR said Zuraida had signed a bond on April 25, 2018, promising to pay RM10 million to the party within seven days if she resigned from the party, joined any other political party or became an independent MP.

The party claimed that on Feb 24, 2020, Zuraida announced her resignation from the party without quitting as Ampang MP.

She eventually aided in the formation of a new political coalition known as Perikatan Nasional.

Lawyer Navpreet Singh appeared for PKR and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail while Nizamuddin Hamid represented Zuraida.

Justice Akhtar Tahir has directed both parties to file their written submissions by May 25 for him to deliver his ruling on June 23.