Sindumin rep to file preliminary objection against voter’s election petition on Feb 5

KOTA KINABALU (Jan 28): Parti Warisan Sabah’s Yusri Pungut, who won the Sindumin state seat in the 17th state election, will file a preliminary objection (PO) on Feb 5 against an election petition filed by a voter.

Apart from Yusri, the Sindumin returning officer (RO) and the Election Commission (EC) will also file their respective POs on the same day.

Justice Dean Wayne Daly, who held a mentioning of the petition via Zoom today, further ordered Yusri, the RO and the EC to file and serve their respective written submissions in respect of their POs on or before Feb 12.

The hearing proper of their POs will be on Feb 16.

On Dec 26 last year, voter Wendey Agong Baruh, 34, filed the petition challenging the Sindumin election results.

He named Yusri, the RO, and the EC as first, second, and third respondents, respectively.

In his petition, Wendey claimed, among others, that a video he received from a woman showed an EC officer allegedly crumpling a ballot paper during the vote-counting process, which was an offence under Section 3(1)(c) of the Election Act 1954.

Yusri won the seat in a 10-cornered fight with a 362-vote majority.

The petitioner was represented by counsels Amli Nohin and Norlaily Anuar.

Yusri, who is a lawyer, represented himself, while the RO and the EC were represented by a senior federal counsel.