KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 29): The trial of former Sabah infrastructure development minister Datuk Peter Anthony, who faces charges of using false documents relating to a system maintenance contract, was postponed on Friday (Oct 29) as the judge and court staff were under quarantine due to close contact with a Covid-19 positive case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told theedgemarkets.com that Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi, who is presiding over the case, was under isolation as one of her court interpreters had tested positive for Covid-19.
The hearing on Friday was for both parties to appear before the judge for oral submissions — before deciding whether to acquit Peter of the charges or to order him to enter his defence.
The prosecution on Sept 21 closed their case after calling 15 witnesses.
In the trial of the case, which began in April this year, the prosecution called former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, former treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah and former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi to testify.
Peter, 50, is charged with forging a letter from the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) deputy vice-chancellor's office, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement in the title of the letter with the intention of using it to deceive the office of the principal private secretary to the prime minister at the Perdana Putra Building in Putrajaya between June 13 and Aug 21, 2014.
He is also charged with the use of a false document as genuine, namely a letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of UMS dated June 9, 2014, which had a false statement in the title of the letter, and that he had reason to believe that the document was false at the same place and time.
Peter is charged under Section 468 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and a fine, and under Section 471 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 465 of the same law, which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, if convicted.