Kadzim said this was in line with Article 17(1)(e) of the Sabah constitution, which states that assemblymen sentenced to a year or more in prison or fined RM2,000 or more will lose their position.

However, he said the provision must be read alongside other constitutional articles and legal provisions.

“As such, his status as the representative for N35 Melalap will only be determined once all relevant legal provisions have been fulfilled,” Kadzim was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal upheld Peter’s conviction and sentence for forging a letter from the office of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah vice-chancellor for fraudulent purposes 11 years ago.

He was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000.

The Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat president will lose his state assembly seat unless he obtains a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the offence was committed in Putrajaya.