Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party's (PKS) campaign to achieve a top three spot in the 2014 election may face a rough road as it is coping with a fight with its former founder, Yusuf Supendi, who is challenging party officials.

Yusuf filed a civil lawsuit against 10 party officials at South Jakarta District Court on Monday, demanding Rp 42.7 billion (US$4.9 million) in compensation. "It is a civil lawsuit for material and immaterial losses," said Dani Saliswijaya, one of Yusuf's 11 lawyers.

The lawsuit was a last resort in Yusuf's search for justice after the PKS ignored his April 19 warning, he said.

Yusuf asked the party to produce his dismissal letter, but he said the party has failed to produce it. For that reason, Yusuf is asking for compensation as he said he feels the nature of his dismissal was unclear, claiming that the sacking had cost him dearly.

Dani said Yusuf initially planned to ask for Rp 37 billion, but the sum ballooned following Yusuf's dismissal from the party.

Yusuf said the Rp 37 billion sum accounted only for his material losses, which were mostly accumulated through his lost monthly earnings and the cost of medical treatments for his wife.

"My wife is seriously ill because of this. She is ill because she was lied to," Yusuf said. His wife reportedly had a stroke.

Yusuf made it clear that his motive in filing the lawsuit was to ensure that justice was upheld regarding his firing, which he described as "mysterious".

In response to Yusuf's legal filing, the PKS said it would be ready to challenge Yusuf in court. "Yes, we are ready to respond [to the civil lawsuit] in accordance with the prevailing laws," PKS president Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq said Monday.

Luthfi declined to comment further, saying that the party had appointed a team of attorneys to defend the party's name in court.

Yusuf was fired by the party in 2010 for allegedly embezzling party funds. Yusuf's feud with the PKS became known after he publicly criticized the party and accused some of the party's key members of embezzlement, unlawful polygamy and authoritarian leadership.

The party's reputation has been rocked by a spate of scandals in the past month. The latest embarrassment saw PKS lawmaker Arifinto photographed by a journalist watching pornography on his tablet computer during a House of Representatives plenary meeting.