Radzi remains Putrajaya MP as court throws out election petition

Radzi Jidin of Bersatu has retained his position as Putrajaya MP, after an election court rejected a petition filed against him.

High Court judge Faizah Jamaludin allowed a preliminary objection by Radzi to strike out the petition filed by Putrajaya Umno division vice chief Ahmad Faisal Abdul Karim.

The judge ruled that Faisal had failed to prove corrupt practices on the part of either Radzi or his agents.

"The deficiency in facts and particulars on alleged bribery to voters will make it impossible to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt if a trial is held. 

"I find the petition has not complied with Rule 4 (1)(b) of the election petition rules and is therefore defective," Faizah said during the proceedings held online today.

She added that as an election judge, she was constrained by the powers expressly vested in her under the Election Offences Act.
 
"The petitioner's failure to comply with the pleadings and procedures has resulted in a jurisdictional defect which deprived me of hearing the petition. Thus, this petition is struck out," she said.

The court also ordered Faisal to pay Radzi RM20,000 in costs.

Lawyers Hafarizam Harun, Norhazira Abu Hayan and Amin Othman represented Faisal while Radzi was represented by Yusfarizal Yussoff.

In the petition filed on Jan 26, Faisal sought a court order to declare that Radzi should not have been declared the winner of the Putrajaya seat at the 15th general election on Nov 19 last year as his alleged bribes of RM150 each had induced voters to vote for him and not for other candidates. 

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

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