KUCHING: The Federal Court today granted the Sarawak state legislative assembly’s application for leave to appeal against the decision of the High Court and the Court of Appeal on the disqualification of Pujut assemblyman, Dr Ting Tiong Choon due to his dual citizenship.
Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar said the application was made by three applicants, namely himself as the Speaker of the August House; Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh as a senior state minister and the state legislative assembly.
“The Speaker was represented by senior counsel Tan Sri Cecil Abraham and Shakar Ram Asnani while the second applicant, was represented by George Lo and the third applicant was represented by Deputy State Attorney General, Saferi Ali,” he told a media conference here today.
On June 17, 2017, the High Court ruled that it was unlawful for DUN to disqualify Ting as Pujut assemblyman.
On July 13, 2018, the Court of Appeal ruled that the state assembly had exceeded its power in denouncing Dr Ting’s membership as an assemblyman on the basis of his dual citizenship, which Dr Ting had given up before being nominated as a candidate for Pujut.
On May 12, 2017, Dr Ting was stripped of his seat after Wong, who was then the Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce tabled a motion in the state assembly.
Mohd Asfia, Wong and the state assembly brought the case to the Federal Court after the Court of Appeal and Kuching High Court ruled against the disqualification of Dr Ting as Pujut assemblyman. — Bernama
