KUCHING: Police are currently investigating eight cases of personation under Section 7 of the Election Offences Act 1954 during polling day yesterday.
A police spokesman for the 15th general election (GE15) Supt Douglas Nyeging Taong in a statement said the cases were reported in Sibu, Kuching, Bau, Padawan, Tamin, Julau and Bintulu.
He revealed that the incident happened when eight complainants were informed by Election Commission (EC) officers at the registration counters and polling channels that their names and identity card numbers had already been crossed off the voter list.
It was made to understand other individuals had casted their ballots under the complainants’ name and identity card number.
According to the Election Offences Act 1954, it states that under Section 7, every person who at an election applies for a ballot paper in the name of some other person, whether that name be that of a person living or dead, or of a fictitious person or who, having voted once at any such election, applies at the same election for a ballot paper in his own name, shall be guilty of the offence of personation.
If convicted, the penalty is a jail term of up to two years or a fine up to RM5,000.
Nyeging added that they have received a total of 14 police reports pertaining to election issues and throughout the polling process, no untoward incidents were reported.
