Election judge Azizul Azmi Adnan dismissed Barisan Nasional’s candidate S Suppayah’s election petition.

Chiong won the Bukit Batu seat with a majority of 137 votes in March. He defeated Suppayah, Perikatan Nasional’s Tan Heng Choon and Warisan’s Lee Ming Wen.

The court ruled that Suppayah’s petition was defective and did not comply with the requirements under the Election Offences Act.

Azizul ordered Suppayah to pay RM30,000 in costs each to Chiong and the Election Commission (EC).

Suppayah alleged that his request to recount votes in several polling centres was rejected by EC officers and that the rejection to his request was not in compliance with election by-laws.

He further claimed that he might have won the seat if the EC had not rejected his request.

G Manivanan, Adi Zulkarnian Zulkafli, Lau Yi Leong, Adly Zulfadhly Zulkefly and Tan Wye Nye appeared for Chiong while senior federal counsels Ahmad Hanir Hambaly, Raja Shahril Anuar Raja Baniamin and Sallehuddin Md Ali appeared for the EC.

Rajasekaran Thiyagarajan appeared for Suppayah.