Umno supreme council member Nazri Abdul Aziz has dismissed calls for actions to be taken against party leaders who are under investigation over involvement with the anti-Bersih red-shirts movement.

When met after a function in Kuala Lumpur last night, Nazri told Malaysiakini there is nothing in Umno's constitution that states the party should sack its Sungai Besar division chief Jamal Md Yunos and Umno Youth exco member Armand Azha Abu Hanifah.

"If it doesn't amount to serious criminal offences like murder or rape, I don't think there is anything in the constitution that says we (Umno) should sack them.

"The only thing is that if that they are declared bankrupt, they cannot hold any post, that's all," said the tourism and culture minister.

Nazri said this when asked whether Umno should sack Jamal and Armand Azha following their arrests linked to the anti-Bersih counter rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Commenting further, the Padang Rengas MP said there has also been no precedent of Umno sacking its members for less serious offences.

"There's no precedent yet of people charged with less serious offences, sacked from the party. So far no.

"I don't think there's anything in our constitution that says if (a member was) fined, they should be sacked from the party," he said.

'What about Anwar, Guan Eng?'

Asked whether the non-action would enforce perception that Umno condones the actions of the red-shirts, Nazri pointed out that opposition parties PKR and DAP have similarly retained their leaders convicted of worse crimes.

"PKR has not taken any action against Anwar, right? Same. (Anwar's was a) worse offence, some more," he said in reference to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving a five-year jail sentence over his sodomy charge.

"So I think it is up to the party. And you know that Lim Guan Eng was jailed before? But his membership in DAP was not taken away," he added.

Jamal, who is now serving a four-day remand order, was arrested in the pre-Bersih 5 crackdown on Friday and investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.

Armand Azha, meanwhile, had initially led the red-shirts in their march from Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) to Padang Merbok, but was arrested yesterday evening after their group of some 4,000 protestors had dispersed.

Bersih held its fifth rally for electoral reform last Saturday, with the additional call for Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign over the growing international 1MDB scandal.

Jamal had vowed to stop the rally at all costs, and organised his red-shirts to counter Bersih 5 at the latter's gathering points and along its route.

However his threats did not stop at least 40,000 from marching the streets of Kuala Lumpur in the rally that ended peacefully at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.