Putrajaya: Tomorrow is the decision of the final appeal by former Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony against his conviction and sentence for falsifying documents related to a maintenance and service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) 11 years ago.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the decision is expected at about 9 am by a panel of three Court of Appeal judges, comprising Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, and Datuk Azmi Ariffin. Lawyer Datuk Nicholas Kow Eng Chuan, representing Peter, and Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, representing the respondent, completed their submissions before the panel on August 1 last year.

The court had earlier set the decision on the appeal for November 27 last year, but amended it to January 9 this year, before it was postponed to February 7 and then to tomorrow (March 4). Peter, 54, filed the appeal to overturn his conviction and three-year prison sentence, along with a fine of RM50,000 on April 19, 2023. The sentence was handed down by the Sessions Court on May 26, 2022, after finding him guilty of the offence. He paid the fine.

Peter’s appeal was dismissed by the High Court on April 18, 2023, making this his final appeal. He was charged in his capacity as managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Sdn Bhd with forging a letter from the office of UMS Deputy Vice-Chancellor, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement to use it for fraudulent purposes. The offence was allegedly 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.