GE13: Polling agent pleads not guilty to locking ballot boxes

The Star, Saturday May 4, 2013

By M. MAGESWARI
mages@thestar.com.my

KAJANG: A real estate consultant has pleaded not guilty at a magistrate's court to locking two ballot boxes during the advance voting on Tuesday.

Susan Lee Pek Sim, 55, is accused of having committed the offence with her own padlocks without authorisation at the army hall of Squadron 21 of the Royal Engineers Army Regiment (Territorial Army) in Kajang Utama at 7.15pm on April 30.

Lee, who is acting as a polling agent for the Serdang DAP on a voluntary basis, faces a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to RM5,000 or both under Section 3(1)(i) of the Election Offences Act.

DPP Khairunnisa Hazwani Omar asked the court to set Lee's bail at RM4,000 in one surety, while her lawyer New Sin Yew pleaded for a lower amount of RM1,000.

Magistrate Abdul Jalil Salam Mohamad then set the bail at RM2,500 in one surety and fixed June 3 for mention.

Lee's co-counsel Andrew Khoo said the woman, who is married and lives in Kuala Lumpur, came to court voluntarily to face her charge.

“She has never been arrested by the police before,” he said. “She was told to come to court and she came on her own.”

He added that the police had recorded a statement from Lee at the Kajang police station over the incident on April 30.

On Tuesday, there was also drama at an advance polling centre at the army training centre in Port Dickson when a representative of the PAS candidate locked several ballot boxes.

Bagan Pinang PAS candidate Ramli Ismail's representative locked about nine of the 18 ballot boxes after voting for the state seat ended at 7pm.

He had done this while the returning officer and his staff were doing the necessary paperwork before sealing the boxes to be sent to a secure location.