KUALA LUMPUR – Former Sabah infrastructure development minister Datuk Peter Anthony, charged with using false documents, has applied to transfer his case from the Sessions Court here to the one in Kota Kinabalu, on the grounds that some witnesses are in Sabah.
In an application filed on January 6, he said he also faces five other charges at the Kota Kinabalu special corruption court, and his movement from the Sabah capital to here is limited.
“I am also Melalap assemblyman, and have been in Sabah since the implementation of the conditional movement control order (last year). I am serving the community in Sabah that has been severely affected by Covid-19.”
He said the lockdown implemented by the government recently poses a challenge to all parties in the case.
“This application will be of convenience to all parties, since the potential witnesses to be called are from and reside in Sabah.”
Lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla, representing Peter, confirmed the matter to the press.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, confirming Peter’s application to transfer the case, told Bernama that the court had set today for mention of the application before judicial commissioner Datuk Aslam Zainuddin, but it has to be postponed to February 3 due to the lockdown.
“However, the prosecution told the court in previous proceedings that the offence was committed in Peninsular Malaysia, and the court here has no jurisdiction to transfer the case to Sabah.”
Peter, 50, was charged as Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director with falsifying documents, namely a letter from the office of Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s vice-chancellor, dated July 11, 2014, with regard to a purported collaboration with the varsity to fund and set up a technical training centre via direct negotiations.
The offence, under Section 468 of the Penal Code, was allegedly committed at the office of the prime minister’s principal private secretary in Putrajaya on July 17, 2014.
Peter faces a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
He was also charged with an alternative charge of using false documents to finance and set up the said centre, at the same place and date, under Section 471 of the Penal Code.
Last June, the Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president was charged at the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court with laundering RM8.75 million and abetting in criminal breach of trust involving more than RM15 million in connection with a Rubber Industry Smallholders’ Development Authority land deal. – Bernama, January 20, 2021
