KUALA LUMPUR, 25 August 2025 – The High Court has today dismissed a RM12.5 million legal fees claim filed by lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla against Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and three of its senior leaders, ruling that there was no contractual basis for payment. Justice Datuk Akhtar Tahir found that the legal services Haniff provided between 2016 and 2020 were voluntary and not governed by any fee agreement.
In delivering judgment, Justice Akhtar emphasized that Haniff, who assisted in legal matters relating to Bersatu’s formation and early operations, had not issued any billing during the period in question. The first invoice appeared only in January 2021—nearly a year after Bersatu departed from the Pakatan Harapan coalition—further supporting the conclusion that there was no agreement to remunerate him.
The court viewed Haniff’s involvement as part of a broader collective political endeavour, rather than transactional legal work. “This is evidence that when this party was formed, voluntary services were rendered by various parties, which included lawyers,” the judge noted, stressing that the plaintiff’s role served the public interest rather than a business arrangement.
As a result, the court dismissed the suit and ordered Haniff to pay RM150,000 in costs to Bersatu.
Haniff originally lodged the claim in July 2021, naming Bersatu, its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, and treasurer Datuk Mohamed Salleh Bajuri as respondents. He asserted that he had provided legal advice and representation from the party’s inception under former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad—covering tasks such as drafting the party constitution, facilitating its registration with the Registrar of Societies, and defending it in proceedings before and after the 14th General Election. His legal support continued until February 2020, when Bersatu left the Pakatan Harapan coalition following the Sheraton Move.
Despite claims by Haniff that he submitted an invoice for services rendered from 2016 to February 2020, the court found that he did not formally present these billing demands until 2021—and even then, Bersatu did not act upon them. The defendants maintained that all services were performed pro bono and in a personal capacity for Dr Mahathir, rather than under a binding contractual obligation with the party.
Following the ruling, Mohamed Haniff indicated he would consider appealing the decision to the Court of Appeal.
