PUTRAJAYA: Former Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony will begin serving his three-year prison sentence immediately. The Court of Appeal today dismissed his final bid to review his conviction for document falsification.
A three-member panel unanimously rejected Peter’s application for a review. Justice Datuk Azman Abdullah stated there was no breach of natural justice in the original proceedings.
Justice Azman emphasized that Peter had been accorded full rights to be heard during his appeal. The court found no miscarriage of justice regarding a key police report evidence.
“The absence of the police report issue in the broad grounds does not amount to injustice,“ Justice Azman declared. He confirmed the matter had been thoroughly addressed in the full judgment.
The police report in question was filed by the late Mohd Shukur Mohd Din in 2018. The former UMS deputy vice-chancellor claimed his MACC statement was recorded under pressure.
Mohd Shukur alleged the final paragraph of his statement was fabricated to implicate Peter. This report was only discovered after Peter’s trial had concluded.
Peter’s lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla argued the previous panel failed to properly consider this evidence. He claimed this omission prejudiced his client and resulted in injustice.
“The deliberations in the full judgment amounted to an afterthought,“ Haniff contended. He requested the case be remitted to the Sessions Court for retrial.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin countered these arguments effectively. He maintained the police report issue had been extensively argued before the appellate court.
Wan Shaharuddin stated no special circumstances justified granting Peter’s review application. The prosecution’s position ultimately prevailed with the court’s ruling.
Peter was convicted of falsifying a UMS letter related to a maintenance contract. The offence occurred at the Prime Minister’s office between June and August 2014.
The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court originally sentenced him to three years imprisonment and a RM50,000 fine in May 2022. Higher courts subsequently upheld this conviction and sentence.
Peter has already paid his RM50,000 fine as required by the original judgment. His imprisonment now proceeds following today’s decisive ruling.
As Melalap assemblyman, Peter will likely lose his state seat due to this conviction. The Sabah State Assembly has yet to make any formal announcement regarding his status.
This case concludes all legal avenues available to challenge his conviction. The judicial process has now reached its final resolution. – Bernama