Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has kept the Bagan Datoh parliamentary seat in Perak after an Election Court in Kuala Lumpur allowed a preliminary objection by his lawyers against two petitions filed against him.

Justice Hasnah Mohamed Hashim found both petitions, filed by PKR candidate Madhi Hassan and another by a voter, Azmi Sulaiman, to be defective and invalid.

She also ordered Madhi to pay RM25,000 in costs.

The Federal Court has ordered the matter to proceed to trial after having allowed Madhi’s appeal.

However, during the re-hearing, new preliminary objections were entered during the hearing last month by lawyers for Ahmad Zahid, who is the home minister.

Hasnah, in ruling the petition as invalid, said that there were no ample particulars on the allegations of buying votes as furnished by the two petitioners.

This follows a reported incident on April 19 last year where a person said to be Zahid's agent, R Supramaniam, was found to be giving away RM100 and five bags of rice to a voter.

'No sufficient evidence'

She ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to show that the person giving away the goodies had acted for the Umno vice-president.

“Allegations of corruption is criminal in nature and it has to be precise. Who is Supramaniam? It is not clear that Supramaniam had acted as an agent or had been asked by the respondent (Zahid) to give out the money.

"Supramaniam is also the BN candidate for the Hutan Melintang state constituency, and he could have been handing the money (for votes to go to him).

“It also failed to show whether the recipient's vote had changed,” she said.

There were allegations made by the two, that the Umno vice-president spent more than the RM200,000 limit for an MP to use in a general election.

The judge also said as the incident happened on April 19, it was uncertain at the time that Zahid would be the candidate, since nomination day was the next day (April 20).

As to questions by Zahid's lawyers that the court has no power as petitions have to be disposed within six months, Hasnah ruled that the intention was for the petition to be disposed within a year.

Zahid was represented by Mohd Hafarizam Harun, while lawyer Edmund Bon appeared for Madhi and Azmi.