Sabah police commissioner Idris Abdullah said Peter, the Melalap assemblyman, was released this morning.

“The investigation is going well and Peter was released on police bail today,” said Idris in a brief statement.

He added that investigation papers have been opened under Section 24A (2) of the Election Act 1954, which prohibits the public from waiting or being within 50m of the perimeters of a nomination centre.

The case is also being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.

Yesterday, Idris was reported to have said that around 300 of Peter’s supporters tried to storm the nomination centre after election officials rejected Peter’s nomination papers on the grounds that he had an unresolved court case.

A widely-shared video clip on social media showed tear gas being fired into a crowd carrying flags bearing the party’s logo.

Peter yesterday said he would file for a judicial review regarding the rejection of his nomination papers.

A former Sabah infrastructure development minister, Peter was sentenced to three years’ jail after he was found guilty of falsifying a letter from the office of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) deputy vice-chancellor for system maintenance contract work.

He was handed a three-year jail term and fined RM50,000.

According to the EC website, individuals who have been convicted of an offence and sentenced to a jail term of more than one year and fined more than RM2,000 — and have yet to be pardoned — are ineligible to contest in state or parliamentary elections.

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