Peter Anthony
KOTA KINABALU (July 5): The Special Court for Corruption here on Tuesday fixed August 9 to re-mention the money laundering and abetting cases of former Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat set the date pending a new development on the status of a representation filed by the 49-year-old accused.
The prosecution informed the court that they needed ample time for the representation application be brought to their superior.
On June 11, 2021, Peter had claimed trial to one count of instructing two company directors to transfer RM1,750,000 from a company’s account to another account and four charges of accepting a total of RM7 million allegedly obtained from illegal activities to be credited to his company’s account.
On the first count, he was accused of involving in illegal activity transactions by instructing the two staff of a company to transfer the said amount to another different company’s account at a bank branch at Jalan Perpaduan in Kampung Air here on July 25, 2014.
On the second count, the Melalap assemblyman was alleged to have accepted RM2 million obtained from illegal activity from a company which was allegedly credited to his company’s account at the same place on August 4, 2014.
These two charges were levelled under pre amendment Act of Section 4 (1) (a) of the Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (AMLATFA) 2001 which provides for a fine of up to RM5 million or a jail term of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
The said Act was amended on September 1, 2014.
Therefore, Peter’s third to the fifth charges were framed under post amendment Act of Section 4 (1) (b) of the AMLATFPUA 2001 as it was allegedly committed at the same place on September 5, 2014, December 7, 2015 and November 20, 2015 respectively.
For this post amendment Act, the provision of the section provides for a jail term of up to 15 years and a fine of not less than five times of the alleged amount or RM5 million or which amount is higher, upon conviction.
The three charges accused Peter of accepting RM500,000, RM400,000 and RM4,100,000 respectively, allegedly obtained from illegal activities from a company with RM900,000 of the said amount allegedly credited to his company’s account.
For these five charges, the accused was previously granted a bail of RM500,000 with two local sureties and his passport was ordered to be impounded by the court but he has liberty to apply to get it if there is necessity.
Peter was also ordered to report at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) office once every two months.
Then on June 18, 2021, Peter had pleaded not guilty before the same court here to abetting with a Sabah lawyer in embezzling RM15,545,400 being the ten per cent payment for the purchase of several acres of oil palm plantation land in Tongod.
He was alleged to have abetted with Persius Henry Bolutong @ Micheal Persius Ubu, 64, in the alleged breach of a contract agreed between Michael Ubu and Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
The charge stated that Micheal, who is an agent to Risda, in his capacity was entrusted with the money, which was paid via a cheque into the bank account of Tetuan Micheal Ubu & Co for the purpose of the 10 per cent payment from the purchase of 6,768.688 acres of land at Sg Pinangah and Sg Labau, both in Tongod.
Peter, who was represented by counsel Khairudin Noordin, was alleged to have committed the offence at Tetuan Micheal Ubu & Co, Beverly Hills Plaza, Jalan Bundusan in Penampang between July 22, 2014 and November 19, 2015.
The alleged offence was under Section 109 of the Penal Code and read together under Section 409 of the same Code, which carries a jail term of between two years and 20 years and with whipping and also liable to fine, upon conviction.
The court had on that day granted for the previous bail conditions to be adopted and the sum of bail is the same as the previous amount since there are possibilities for Peter’s cases to be consolidated and jointly tried.
The same court also fixed August 9 to re-mention the case of Persius Henry Bolutong, pending the status of his representation.