THE Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today ordered former Sabah infrastructure development minister Peter Anthony to enter his defence on a charge of falsifying a letter from the office of Universiti Malaysia Sabah deputy vice-chancellor for a system maintenance contract work at the university in 2014.

Judge Azura Alwi made the decision after finding that the prosecution had proven a prima facie case against Anthony, 50.

The court fixed January 3 to 7 next year for hearing.

Anthony was charged as the managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati with having falsified a letter from the office of UMS deputy vice-chancellor dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement with intention to cheat.

The offence was allegedly committed at the office of the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary at the Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya, between June 13 and August 21, 2014.

The charge, under section 468 of the penal code for forging a document for the purpose of cheating, carries a maximum seven years’ jail and fine.

He also faces an alternative charge of using a false document as genuine, namely the letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of UMS dated June 9, 2014, which had a false statement in the title of the letter, and had reason to believe that the document was false.

He was charged with committing the offence at the same place and time.

The charge, under section 471 of the penal code, carries up to two years’ jail, or with fine, or with both.

The court ordered Anthony to defend himself on the charge of forging the latter.

“The court is satisfied that the prosecution has succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against you (Peter Anthony) under section 468 of the penal code for committing forgery by inserting a false statement in the title of the letter of the Office of the UMS Deputy Vice-Chancellor as charged.

“Therefore, you are therefore ordered to defend yourself,” said the judge.

Anthony will testify under oath from the witness stand.

Lawyer Munawar Kabir Mohd Zainal Abidin, representing Anthony, told the court that the defence would call seven witnesses, including those offered by the prosecution.

The prosecution closed its case last September 21 after calling 15 witnesses, who included former prime minister Najib Razak, former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah and former chief justice Zaki Azmi. – Bernama, December 14, 2021.