Court rejects petition challenging outcome of Sungai Udang state seat

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 Sungai Udang state seat.

Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah decided this after scrutinising and hearing the statements of all 20 witnesses during the trial which started on March 24 until April 20.

Lawyer Rosli Dahlan, representing Sungai Udang assemblyman Dr Mohd Aleef Yusof, said the court decided that the accusations against the Election Commission (EC), returning officer for Sungai Udang and Dr Mohd Aleef on irregularities in the voting during the Melaka state election last Nov 20 were not true.

"Two accusations on corruptions 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.

Mohamad 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 proceeding today.

On Dec 14 last year, Mohamad Ali, 57, who lost in the Melaka state election on Nov 20 last year, filed an election petition to annul the victory of Dr Mohd Aleef, 35, of Perikatan Nasional (PN) alleging that there were elements of corruption involved in the election for the Sungai Udang seat.

He named Dr Mohd 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