PUTRAJAYA – The Court of Appeal today allowed an application by former Sabah infrastructure development minister Datuk Peter Anthony to submit new evidence in his final appeal to set aside his conviction, as well as a prison sentence and fine, for forgery.
A panel of three judges led by Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera allowed Peter’s application after the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutors Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Haresh Prakash Somiah, did not object to it.
Judge Vazeer, sitting with judges Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan then set tomorrow for case management, to be conducted online.
Peter was represented by lawyers Datuk Nicholas Kow Eng Chuan and Emile Ezra Md Hussain.
The 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.
Meanwhile, Wan Shaharuddin, when met outside the court, said the prosecution did not object to Peter’s application as they felt the evidence to be submitted by the defence had no relevance in the appeal.
Peter had filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal in April last year to set aside his conviction, three years imprisonment and RM50,000 fine or in default 15 months’ jail, imposed on him by the sessions court on May 26, last year.
He lost his appeal in the high court after it was dismissed on April 18, last year.
It will be Peter’s final appeal in the Court of Appeal, as his case originated from the sessions court.
On April 19 last year, Peter, 52, filed an appeal to set aside the conviction and sentence of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM50,000 or 15 months’ imprisonment handed down by the Kuala Lumpur sessions court on May 26, 2022, after finding him guilty of forging a letter for a Mechanical and Electrical Systems (M&E) maintenance and service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in 2014.
He was charged in his capacity as managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Sdn Bhd with forging a letter from the office of the UMS Deputy Vice-Chancellor, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement to use it for fraudulent purposes.
The offence was committed at the office of the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya between June 13 and August 21, 2014.
The charge was framed under Section 468 of the Penal Code, which provides a maximum prison sentence of seven years and a fine, upon conviction.
The Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president paid the fine. – February 7, 2024