Judge Azura Alwi set the date after hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and defence counsel Munawar Kabir Mohd Zainal Abidin at the end of the prosecution’s case.
Anthony, 50, was charged with falsifying a letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah in 2014, by inserting a false statement in the title of the letter with the intention that it be used for the purpose of cheating the prime minister’s principal private secretary in Putrajaya.
He faces an alternative charge of using a false document (the letter) as genuine and he had reason to believe that the document was false.
In closing the prosecution’s case, Wan Shaharuddin argued that Anthony had falsified the document because he typed the title of the letter based on the testimony of the third witness, Mohd Shukur Mohd Din, that he left a blank draft of the supporting letter with only a letterhead in the computer in the accused’s office, but found it filled with dates, title and content the next day.
“Peter, as the owner of Syarikat Asli Jati, had tried to use Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s cable to ‘hijack’ the project, which the accused knew was made through an open tender,” he said, adding that this was a “dirty tactic” which saw the accused deceive Najib, who at that time was prime minister and finance minister.
He said Anthony also never informed Najib that the project had been awarded to REMT Utama Sdn Bhd, for the operation and maintenance of the mechanical and electrical system at UMS, and this was not the first time he had used his influence to get a project.
Munawar argued that there was no evidence to show that Anthony had committed the offences as stated in the charge.
He said the draft letter of support allegedly prepared at Anthony’s office could not be proven to be authentic, as the prosecution did not submit forensic analytical evidence to connect the accused to the charges.
He added that the prosecution had also failed to prove that the computer allegedly used to prepare the draft letter of support belonged to Anthony, as it was not confiscated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Munawar, who told the court that the defence would call eight witnesses if Anthony was ordered to enter his defence, said Shukur lied when he stated that the draft letter of support was prepared in Anthony’s office; instead, it was prepared by the witness himself.