KOTA KINABALU: Former state minister Datuk Peter Anthony (pic), who is serving a three-year sentence for a cheating case at Kajang prison, has been released a year after being in prison.
When contacted, Parti KDM deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda confirmed that Anthony has been released on parole but declined further comment.
Sources close to the former Parti KDM president said Anthony returned to Sabah on March 13, with the parole coming with strict conditions.
The sources said Anthony, who was the former Melalap assemblyman, is back at his family home in Kimanis, about 40km from the state capital, following his conditional release.
Anthony’s daughter, Prescilla, who is acting KDM president, could not be reached for comment.
Under the parole system, a prisoner qualifies to serve the remainder of the sentence outside prison based on specific conditions under the Prisons (Amendment) Act 2008.
On March 4 last year, Anthony was ordered to serve his three-year jail sentence after he was found guilty of falsifying documents related to a contract with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), following the dismissal of his final appeal to the Court of Appeal to overturn a Sessions Court decision.
On May 26, 2022, Anthony, who was then managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Sdn Bhd, was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000 after being found guilty of forging a letter for a project involving maintenance of mechanical and electrical systems at UMS.
He was charged with forging a letter from the office of UMS deputy vice-chancellor, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement for fraudulent purposes.
He paid the fine.
Anthony became a state minister when Parti Warisan won the state government in 2018 but left the party to form Parti KDM in 2022.
The Prisons Department has yet to issue a statement for what sources say is a release under the Pembebasan Banduan Secara Lesen scheme.
