Machang election petition goes back for full trial

The other judges on the panel were Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop and Datuk Hasan Lah.

The court also set aside the Election Court's decision to strike out Wan Zawawi's election petition after allowing the respondents' preliminary objection to the petition.

In the petition, Wan Zawawi had named Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, returning officer and the Election Commission as respondents.

In the general election, Ahmad Jazlan beat Wan Zawawi by 805 votes.

Meanwhile, the panel also dismissed five other appeals on election petitions after hearing submissions from the parties concerned.

The appeals were brought by the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the Bachok parliamentary seat and the Jelawat state seat in Kelantan and PAS for three state seats, namely Pasir Panjang, Manong and Rungkup in Perak.

Meanwhile, another panel of the Federal Court chaired by Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif dismissed an election petition appeal brought by PAS for the Selama state constituency in Perak.

Justice Md Raus, chairing a five-member panel comprising justices Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop, Datuk Hasan Lah and Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin, made the ruling after counsel representing the appellant Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin did not appear in court for the appeal.

The court dismissed the appeal by Mohd Akmal with RM20,000 in costs.

The court also set Dec 23 for a decision on the appeals of election petitions for the parliamentary constituencies of Bagan Datoh, Sungai Besar, Tapah and the state constituency of Lubok Merbau. - Bernama