Forgery case: Ex-Sabah minister bids to quash conviction, jail time

Summary

• Former Sabah infrastructure and development minister Peter Anthony files an application for the Court of Appeal to review its verdict earlier this month to deny his last-ditch appeal to overturn his conviction over a document forgery case as well as a three-year jail term and RM50,000 fine.

• His conviction and sentencing in the case are linked to a maintenance and service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) 11 years ago.

• The Melalap assemblyperson was convicted and sentenced by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, and the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld the trial court’s ruling.

Peter Anthony has filed for the Court of Appeal to review its ruling earlier this month denying his last-ditch appeal to overturn his conviction over a document forgery case as well as a three-year jail term and RM50,000 fine.

The former Sabah infrastructure development minister filed his review application to the appellate court on March 14, targeting the court’s verdict 10 days earlier.

His conviction and sentencing in the case are linked to a maintenance and service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) 11 years ago. The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court convicted and sentenced him, and the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld the ruling.

Under the law, the Melalap assemblyperson is set to lose his state seat and will not be eligible to contest in the upcoming Sabah state polls this year.

In a copy of his supporting affidavit sighted by Malaysiakini, Peter claimed the Court of Appeal earlier this month did not give proper evaluation of alleged new evidence showing material suppression of evidence.

The alleged new evidence is related to a police report lodged by Mohd Shukur Mohd Din, who is the third prosecution witness and also Peter’s friend.

In his current affidavit, Peter claimed the material suppression of evidence is related to Mohd Shukur’s police report dated Aug 9, 2018.

Peter claimed a proper evaluation of the new alleged new evidence should have been sufficient to result in raising reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case and thus lead to his acquittal.

The forgery case is linked to the time when Peter was managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd, which at the time was contracted to perform operational and maintenance work for the Mechanical Phase 2A at the UMS campus in Sabah in 2014.

Syarikat Jati was involved in a joint venture with UMS’ subsidiary Ulink Property Sdn Bhd for a project to construct a building at the Urban Transformation Centre at UMS for student activities.

The forged document in question is a letter of support from UMS to Syarikat Jati for the smart partnership project, with the prosecution contending that Peter forged the said letter to gain federal government approval for the project.

The contract award was later revoked when UMS and the Prime Minister’s Office uncovered misconduct linked to the forged letter, leading to Peter being charged in the criminal court.

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