KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state assembly is waiting for Datuk Peter Anthony’s lawyers to inform them whether any legal application has been filed with regards to his Melalap seat.
State Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya said they have yet to get any update from Anthony’s lawyers on whether or not they have officially commenced any legal applications within the last 14 days.
“Once they notify us, only then a ruling will be made. In a couple of days we should be notified. Just give him time,” he said when contacted on Thursday (March 20).
On May 26, 2022, Anthony was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000 after being found guilty of forging a letter for a mechanical and electrical systems (M&E) maintenance work project at UMS.
On March 4 this year, a three-judge Court of Appeal panel upheld the Sabahan leader’s conviction and sentence after finding that there were no errors from the Sessions Court that would justify intervention by the appellate court.
His state seat of Melalap is set to be automatically vacated but Kadzim had earlier explained that Anthony had 14 days from the date of ruling to exhaust all legal avenues.
He said this was in accordance with Article 17(1)(e) of the state Constitution where any assemblyman sentenced to a year’s jail or more, or fined RM2,000 or more will lose his position as a state assemblyman.
However, this has to be read together with other Articles and laws under the Constitution relating to this matter, hence the 14-day window, he had said.
March 18 was supposed to be the last day of this window period and Anthony is currently serving his three-year jail sentence at the Kajang Prison.
Kadzim had also said there was no need for a by-election if the term of assembly ends within two years of the seat vacation.
The Sabah state assembly term ends October this year.
