MELAKA – The Melaka election court today rejected a petition filed by Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad to challenge the result of the state election for the Sg Udang state seat.
Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah decided this after scrutinising and hearing the statements of all 20 witnesses during the trial which was held from March 24 to April 20.
Lawyer Rosli Dahlan, representing Sg Udang assemblyman Dr Mohd Aleef Yusof, said the court decided that the accusations against the Election Commission (EC), returning officer for Sg Udang and Dr Aleef on irregularities in the voting during the Melaka state election last November 20 were untrue.
“Two accusations of corruption by Dr Aleef too were untrue. As such, the court finds that all the accusations are baseless,” he told reporters when met after the decision at the Air Keroh Courts Complex here.
Ali, who was represented by his line-up of lawyers, namely, Amin Othman, Datin Rosfinah Rahmat, Wan Hamidah Wan Ismail and Nor Hazira Abu Haiyan, did not attend the proceedings today.
On December 14 last year, Ali, 57, who lost in the Melaka state election on November 20 last year, filed an election petition to annul the victory of Dr Aleef, 35, of Perikatan Nasional, alleging that there were elements of corruption involved in the election for the Sg Udang seat.
He named Dr Aleef, who won with a 530-vote majority in a four-cornered fight, the returning officer and the EC as the first to third respondents.
The hearing of the election petition took place on March 24 after the court rejected the preliminary objection submitted by the three respondents. – Bernama, June 8, 2022
.jpeg)
