THE Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today sentenced former Sabah infrastructure and development minister Peter Anthony to three years imprisonment and a fine of RM50,000 for forgery.

Judge Azura Alwi also ordered Anthony to serve a 15-month sentence in lieu of the fine.

Earlier today, Azura found Anthony guilty of forging a letter for a mechanical and electrical systems maintenance contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

Peter was charged in his capacity as managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Sdn Bhd with forging a letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of UMS, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement.

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.

Azura, in response to an application by defence counsel, S. Devanandan, allowed a stay of execution of the prison sentence, pending appeal at the High Court, but ordered the RM50,000 fine to be paid today.

Earlier during mitigation, Devanandan asked the court to impose a lenient sentence on his client on grounds that he had co-operated at all times.

“In this case, Syarikat Asli Jati has helped hundreds of UMS students and he had also helped the poor students at UMS,” the lawyer said.

Deputy public prosecutor Haresh Prakash Somiah applied for a deterrent sentence as a lesson to others, including politicians and civil servants.

In this case, he said, UMS’s reputation as a public university, had also been affected as the contract given to REMT Utama Sdn Bhd had to be withdrawn.

“The accused’s company seemed to have ‘hijacked’ the contract, which was originally given to REMT Utama Sdn Bhd after it bid through an open tender.

“Imagine if REMT Utama were to sue UMS for the action… the funds allocated for students had to be used to pay the suit,” he added.

Haresh Prakash submitted that the accused had planned the scam to an extent that he wanted to meet with the then prime minister and finance minister Najib Razak to get the project.

According to Haresh, based on Anthony’s testimony, it was confirmed that lobbying and seeking support through letters to obtain projects and tenders is a common practice in the country.

“Yet it is appalling because it is by a former Sabah minister of development and infrastructure,” he said, adding that UMS deputy vice-chancellor Prof Shariff Abdul Kadir S. Omang and former registrar Abdullah Mohd Said had to bear the shame and suffering from disciplinary action over the contract.

“The accused was willing to do anything to get the project without taking into account the consequences and implications of his actions on other individuals,” he added. – Bernama, May 26, 2022.