KUALA TERENGGANU: Datuk Razali Idris' position as the Kijal state assemblyman is secure and there will be no automatic vacancy, said Terengganu State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Nor Hamzah.
He said the issue of the Kijal state seat position arose following the Sessions Court's decision to fine Razali RM2,000 after he was found guilty of making inflammatory statements during his speech at the Kemaman By-Election Machinery Launching Ceremony, three years ago.
"From a legal perspective, the main question is whether the sentence disqualifies a representative from the assembly. In general, the Constitution provides that a representative from the assembly can be disqualified if he is sentenced to imprisonment for more than 12 months or fined more than RM2,000.
"However, in the case in question, the court imposed a fine of exactly RM2,000 and not exceeding that amount. In this regard, based on the literal interpretation of the qualification provisions, Razali's position as Kijal assemblyman stays and there will be no automatic vacancy of the seat," he said when contacted by Bernama on Friday (May 15).
Razali, who is also the chairman of the Terengganu State Tourism, Culture, Environment and Climate Change Committee, withdrew his appeal against the Sessions Court's decision to impose a fine of RM2,000 after finding him guilty of issuing a seditious statement during his speech at the Kemaman By-Election Machinery Launching Ceremony, three years ago.
Lawyer Shahril Nizam Mohd Amin, who represented Razali, informed High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid that he had received instructions from his client to withdraw the notice of appeal filed on Jan 5.
The court then quashed the notice of appeal.
On November 24, 2023, the former Bersatu information chief requested to be tried on a charge of uttering seditious words when alleging that the outcome of a court case was controlled by the government.
He was charged with committing the offence at Padang Astaka Chukai, Kemaman, Terengganu between 9.30pm and 11.30pm on Nov 10, 2023 under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 which carries a maximum sentence of three years' imprisonment or a fine of RM5,000 or both.- Bernama
