Incumbents in Tuaran, Putatan, Tenom to remain as MPs

 

A three-member Federal Court bench said there was no merit in the appeals.

PETALING JAYA: The three candidates who won the Tuaran, Putatan, and Tenom parliamentary seats in Sabah in the 15th general election (GE15) will remain as elected representatives following a Federal Court decision today.

The court dismissed the election petition appeals brought by the unsuccessful candidates against the winners and the Election Commission (EC).

A three-member bench chaired by Justice Zabariah Yusof said there was no merit in the appeals.

The bench, which included Justices Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal and Rhodzariah Bujang, also ordered the appellants to pay RM50,000 each to the respondents and the EC.

In March, the election court in Kota Kinabalu dismissed Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) information chief Joniston Bangkuai’s attempt to challenge the victory of Upko candidate Wilfred Madius Tangau in the Tuaran seat.

Joniston had lost to Tangau by only 233 votes.

Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat president Peter Anthony had also failed in his petition against independent Riduan Rubin who won the Tenom seat.

It was reported that Peter’s nomination was rejected by the Tenom returning officer on the advice of the EC.

On the day of nomination, Peter was in the process of appealing against his conviction by the Kuala Lumpur sessions court, which sentenced him to three years in jail and a RM50,000 fine for falsifying a document under Section 468 of the Penal Code.

Riduan won the Tenom seat in a five-cornered fight, also defeating incumbent Noorita Sual of Pakatan Harapan (PH) with a majority of 1,108 votes.

Meanwhile, PH’s Awang Hussaini Sahari, was also unsuccessful in his appeal against Shahelmey Yahya of Barisan Nasional who won the Putatan seat with a 124-vote majority in a four-cornered contest.

Senior federal counsel Donald Joseph Franklin and Shamsul Bolhassan represented the EC. - FMT