Umno leader seeks to nullify GE15 result for Putrajaya seat

A voter in the Putrajaya parliamentary constitutency has filed a petition to nullify the 15th general election (GE15) result for the seat, which was won by Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Radzi Jidin, claiming that the MP bribed registered voters in the area for their votes.

Putrajaya Umno division vice-chief Ahmad Faisal Abdul Karim, 49, filed the petition at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Jan 26 through Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak, naming Radzi, 45, as the respondent.

He is seeking a court order that Radzi should not be declared the winner of the election, held on Nov 19 last year, as his alleged bribes of RM150 induced voters to vote for him instead of for other candidates. 

The bribes were allegedly discovered through a WhatsApp group on Nov 21 and Dec 21 last year, as well as Jan 4.

During yesterday's proceedings before judge Faizah Jamaludin, Radzi’s counsel Takiyuddin Hassan objected to the petition on the basis that the petitioner had failed to provide the personal details of the WhatsApp users.

"No full names, no identity card numbers and addresses. The petitioner also failed to plead details showing any payments by the respondent’s agents on the respondent’s orders," he said.

Meanwhile, the plaintiff’s lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun said the initial objection filed by the respondent on Feb 12 did not bear merit and the petition needed to be heard in a full trial.

"We submit that the only way for an election judge to determine whether the person giving out the money on behalf of the respondent or otherwise is a triable issue (is) that it ought to settled by way of examination of witnesses during the trial of the petition," he said.

Faizah set March 10 for a decision on the initial objection after hearing both parties’ arguments.

Radzi won the Putrajaya seat with 16,002 votes, beating four-term incumbent Tengku Adnan of Barisan Nasional, who obtained 13,692 votes.