PUTRAJAYA (Feb 7): The Court of Appeal on Wednesday allowed former Sabah infrastructure development minister Datuk Peter Anthony’s application to adduce further evidence at his final appeal, after the High Court had upheld his conviction and sentence for allegedly falsifying documents related to electrical and mechanical maintenance service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
The bench, led by Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, allowed the application made by Peter’s lawyers Datuk Nicholas Kow Eng Chuan and Emile Ezra Md Hussain to adduce the evidence after there was no objection from the prosecution led by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.
Following this, Vazeer, along with the bench that comprised Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan, allowed the application and fixed Thursday for case management to possibly fix a final hearing date for the appeal.
Wan Shaharuddin, who appeared with Haresh Prakash when met by reporters after proceedings, said they did not object as they felt the evidence the defence wanted to adduce has no bearing in the appeal.
Peter, who is also Melalap assemblyman, was convicted and sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000 by the Sessions Court on May 26, 2022, after it found him guilty of falsifying documents related to the UMS electrical and mechanical maintenance.
He was charged under Section 468 of the Penal Code for using a forged document when he was managing director of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd from the office of the UMS vice chancellor with the purpose of cheating to secure a contract.
Peter was alleged to have committed the offence at the office of the Prime Minister’s chief private secretary in Putrajaya between June 13 and August 21, 2014.
The High Court upheld his conviction on April 18, 2023 as it ruled the Sessions Court did not err in its decision to convict him, resulting in his final appeal at the appellate court.