RM150 bribe: Voter files petition to nullify GE15 Putrajaya election result

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- A voter in the Putrajaya parliamentary constitutency has filed a petition to nullify the 15th general election (GE15) result for Putrajaya, which was won by Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, claiming that the MP had bribed registered voters in the area with RM500 for their votes.

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

He is seeking a court order to declare 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 and not other candidates. The bribes were allegedly discovered through a Whatsapp Group on Nov 21, Dec 21 last year, as well as Jan 4.

During today’s proceedings in front of Judge Datuk Faizah Jamaludin, Radzi’s counsel Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan objected to the petition on the basis that the petitioner 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 Datuk 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 is ought to settled by way of examination of witnesses during the trial of the petition," he said.

Judge Faizah set March 10 for the 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.

-- BERNAMA