PARTI Warisan Sabah (Warisan) vice-president Peter Anthony has been detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

In confirming the detention, MACC deputy commissioner Azam Baki said Anthony is being held in connection to a RM155 million palm oil land purchase in the Tongod district.

He said Anthony was detained around 12.30pm after presenting himself at the Sabah MACC office around 10.25am.

“The suspect will be brought to the Kota Kinabalu court for remand application tomorrow,” he said in a statement today.

MACC, in a statement on Wednesday, gave Anthony and lawyer Michael Ubu 48 hours to surrender at its office in Jalan Sulaman in Kota Kinabalu to assist in the land deal investigation involving the Rubber Industry Smallholders Association (Risda).

In March 2016, Risda lodged a police report against Michael Ubu’s law firm, Michael UBU & Co, for breaching the terms of a land transaction involving RM15 million.

The money was the 10% deposit for a RM155 million purchase of 2,428ha of land near Sg Pinangah and Sg Labau in Tongod, made out in July 2014, and Ubu’s law firm was appointed by Risda to see through the transaction.

The deal failed after the status of the native land titles could not be changed and therefore, Risda demanded a refund of the deposit, as stipulated under the terms of the land deal.

Risda chairman Zahidi Zainul Abidin, who lodged the report at the Kota Kinabalu district police station last year, said the lawyer has not refunded the RM15 million after issuing several notices.

In a press conference, Anthony’s lawyer Martin Tommy denied Anthony and Ubu had any connection, although there are claims that Anthony owned the law firm.

He also said Anthony was cleared in the police investigation. – January 5, 2018.