Court nullifies PN's GE15 win in Kemaman

The Election Court in Terengganu today nullified Perikatan Nasional candidate Che Alias Hamid's win in the Kemaman parliamentary seat at the 15th general election (GE15).

This came after election judge Anselm Charles Fernandis allowed an election petition by Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Wan Mohamad Hisham Wan Abdul Jalil, claiming bribes were given in the forms of i-Belia and i-Siswa aid during the campaign period to secure votes for Che Alias.

The court also ordered Che Alias to pay costs totalling RM30,000 to Wan Hisham.

Prior to this, the Election Court dismissed the petition filed by Wan Hisham against Che Alias on grounds that it was defective, retaining the PAS representative's GE15 win.

The petition, however, was reinstated after the Federal Court ordered that it be sent back to the High Court for a full hearing of the merits.

In the general election last year, incumbent MP Che Alias won the seat against former Terengganu menteri besar and state BN chief Ahmad Said with a 27,179-vote majority in a four-cornered contest.

The Kemaman parliamentary seat is the second federal seat in Terengganu where the results have been declared null and void.

In June, the election court nullified PAS' Ahmad Amzad Hashim's win at Kuala Terengganu in GE15 after it allowed the election petition by the BN candidate for the seat, Mohd Zubir Embong.

Amzad retained the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat following the by-election on Aug 12.