Adelaide city councillor Jing Li tells court Alexander Hyde’s bid to overturn election is ‘embarrassing’
An Adelaide city councillor has blasted claims he stole his election win, denying any “illegal practice” – and telling a court his rival has no case.
Police & Courts
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Adelaide city councillor Jing Li has hit back at claims he stole his election victory, branding his defeated rival’s bid to overturn the vote “speculative and embarrassing”.
Mr Li has told the Court of Disputed Returns he offered no bribes and was not involved “in any illegal practice” ahead of his win, in the city’s Central Ward, over Alexander Hyde.
In documents filed with the court, he says he will dispute the accuracy of Mr Hyde’s translations of covertly-recorded alleged conversations between Mr Li’s supporters.
He says he will also dispute what is actually depicted in a photo of Chinese people handling ballot papers outside a Morphett St apartment block.
The papers in the photo, he says, cannot be identified as Adelaide City Council election ballots as opposed to voter packs for other suburban elections.
Further, he denies those ballots were surreptitiously removed from letter boxes and collected for his benefit – or that they had any effect upon his 31-vote win over Mr Hyde.
“Mr Li denies that the four candidates (who won), including himself, were not duly elected,” the court papers assert.
“He denies he committed, or was in any way knowingly concerned in, any illegal practice in connection with the election (and) denies that he offered a bribe.
“He denies that voting packs were taken or held in the manner alleged, or filed in favour of him by persons other than those authorised to make the vote.
“The inferences alleged (by Mr Hyde) are speculative and not logically available … the pleadings (in the case) are speculative and embarrassing.”
Mr Hyde has alleged, in court, that Mr Li defeated him in the election by 31 seats only because of his “illegal practices” and those of his supporters.
He claims the alleged actions of Mr Li – who has not been charged with any criminal offence – were captured by covert recordings and led to “illegitimate votes” being counted.
Mr Hyde has asked the court to declare the election result void, which would require it to be contested again.
In his court documents, Mr Li says he will challenge the accuracy of English translations made, for Mr Hyde, of the covert recordings.
He says he will also challenge the evidence of a handwriting expert, retained by Mr Hyde, as to the legitimacy of voter and witness signatures on ballot packs.
“Mr Li denies that he or any agent of his caused anyone to be enrolled as an elector who did not wish to be enrolled, or was not entitled to enrolment as an elector,” the papers assert.
“He admits only that, on a date he cannot now recall, (an associate) showed him a bundle of supplementary enrolment application forms.
“He says that he informed (the associate) that, in his observations, some such forms were incomplete or erroneous on their face.”
The case returns to court next week.
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