SUPPORTERS of newly established Kesejahteraan Masyarakat Demokratik (KDM) president Peter Anthony ran riot after word got out that his nomination papers to contest in the Tenom seat had been rejected.

Video clips of police firing tear gas to stop what seemed like the KDM supporters’ attempt to storm Dewan Datuk Seri Panglima Antanom, the nomination centre, are now widely circulated on various social media platforms.

One 20-second clip with the heading “Peter Anthony bawa orang KDM merusuh | Tenom Sabah | Parlimen Tenom”, was uploaded on YouTube.

One voice recording making the rounds could be heard saying “Datuk Peter punya orang sudah menagamok di dewan (Datuk Peter’s supporters have run riot at the hall)”, in reference to Peter Anthony.

Sabah police, the Election Commission and KDM have yet to make any statements on the trouble but it is learnt that the EC legal officer in Putrajaya had instructed the returning officer to “refuse” Anthony’s nomination papers on grounds he is a convict and therefore ineligible to contest.

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court had on May 26 found Anthony, a former Sabah infrastructure development minister, guilty of forging a letter for a mechanical and electrical systems maintenance work at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and sentenced him to three years’ jail and imposed a RM50,000 fine.

Anthony, however, applied for stay of execution on his sentence and conviction, which the same court allowed on August 1. – November 5, 2022.