The KDM president was ordered to begin his 3 years’ jail today.
PUTRAJAYA : – Melalap assemblyman Datuk Peter Anthony has failed in his final appeal to set aside his conviction for forging a letter from the office of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) vice-chancellor for fraudulent purposes 11 years ago.
Justice Zaini Mazlan said the trial judge made a correct finding in fact and law to convict and sentence Peter three years ago.
“We are of the opinion that the finding of the trial judge (in the sessions court) is well founded and there is no reason to disturb it,” he said in the packed room.
Also on the bench hearing the appeal were Justices Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Azmi Ariffin.
Zaidi, who chaired the bench, also issued a committal order for Peter to begin his jail term, effective today.
Peter had been on RM80,000 bail pending his appeal.
The Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat president will lose his Sabah state assembly seat unless he obtains a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, since the offence was committed in Putrajaya.
Article 17(1) of the Sabah constitution states that an elected or nominated assemblyman will be disqualified if he or she has been convicted of an offence by a court of law in any part of the federation.
The provision also states that the disqualification will come into effect if a jail term of a year or more is imposed, and a fine of RM2,000 or higher.
Peter was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur said in 2023 that the sessions court had not committed any error, either in law or in fact, when finding Peter guilty of the charge in May 2022.
Justice Ahmad Bache, who has since retired, also maintained the sentence imposed by trial judge Azura Alwi.
Peter, 53, was Sabah infrastructure development minister when Warisan was in power between 2018 and 2020.
Peter, then the managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati, was convicted of forging a letter dated June 9, 2014 by inserting a false statement with the intention of using it for fraudulent purposes.
He committed the offence at the office of the principal private secretary to then prime minister Najib Razak at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya between June 13 and Aug 21, 2014.- FMT
