Court affirms Umno’s victory in 3 Perak state seats

Lawyers Adi Zulkarnian (right) and Amir Khusyairi Mohd Tanusi (middle) who represented the PKR and PPBM candidates in their election petitions against three Umno assemblymen.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court, sitting as an election court, today affirmed the May 9 results for three Umno assemblymen in Perak, dismissing election petitions by PKR and PPBM to challenge the results for the Hutan Melintang, Changkat Jong and Lubuk Merbau state seats.

“The three petitions failed to specify details on how the alleged offences under the election law and rules could influence the results,” said justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, allowing the Umno assemblymen’s objection to Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election lawsuit.

Sequerah also said the complaint by PPBM’s Lubok Merbau candidate, Zulkarnie Hashim, against Umno’s Jurij Jalaludin that Jurij was holding office of profit as the headmaster of a religious school and secretary to the tourism ministry, was not sustainable.

He said Jurij’s affidavit and the documents attached showed that he had resigned from the positions before filing his nomination.

Sequerah also declared Khairuddin Tarmizi, Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin, and Jurij as the duly elected assemblymen for Hutan Melintang, Changkat Jong and Lubuk Merbau.

The court ordered Zulkarnie, PPBM’s Changkat Jong candidate Faizul Ismail, and PKR’s Hutan Melintang candidate G Manivannan to pay the three assemblymen RM10,000 in costs.

Speaking to reporters after the court’s decision, lawyers Adi Zulkarnian and Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi who represented Manivannan and the PPBM members, said they would seek instruction from their clients on whether to appeal.

Amir said the PPBM members accepted the court’s decision.

“We know the court is bound by previous election court decisions related to preliminary objections and the striking out of the election suit on technical grounds.

“However, we feel that the relevant agencies like the Election Commission and the Attorney-General’s Chambers should re-look the laws and regulations governing elections that are outdated.”

The three PH candidates had sought a court order to nullify the results for the three seats as well as an order for by-elections to be held.

In Manivannan’s petition, he claimed that there were corrupt practices during the campaign period and errors on the Borang 14 which is used to tabulate the results at polling stations.

Faizul meanwhile said EC officers had failed to sign the Borang 14, while Zulkarnie said the Umno candidate was holding office of profit. - FMT