Action Taken Against Ums Duo Who Signed Off Letters Of Support

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Former Sabah minister of infrastructure development Peter Anthony is facing charges of using false documents relating to a system maintenance contract. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: The sessions court here was told today that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has taken disciplinary action against two of its senior officers for signing and issuing letters of support to a company belonging to former Sabah minister of infrastructure development Peter Anthony in 2014 without the knowledge of the then vice-chancellor Mohd Harun Abdullah.
Mohd Harun said the disciplinary action was taken against Abdullah Mohd Said and Shariff Abd Kadir Shariff Omang, as the letters were issued without his knowledge as the then vice-chancellor, to enable the company to get the finance ministry approval.
The letters were dated June 9, June 10 and July 11, 2014.
“They signed the letters purportedly issued by the university to the finance ministry in support of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd (belonging to Peter) in connection with the maintenance and services work for mechanical and electrical (ME) systems contract at the university,” he said.
The 10th prosecution witness said this during cross-examination by lawyer D. Senthinathan representing Peter, who is also managing director of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd. Peter is facing charges of using false documents relating to a system maintenance contract.
Mohd Harun, 60, said that following the incident, Abdullah, who was formerly UMS Registrar, was transferred to UMS wholly-owned subsidiary, Ulink Property Sdn Bhd, as its chairman in 2015.
“Shariff, on the other hand, was asked to resign as UMS deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International).
“However, I did not lodge a police report on their action as I have sought the advice of the UMS legal office, which saw the disciplinary action taken against them,” the witness said.
Peter, 50, as the managing director of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd, is charged with forging a letter from the 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, 2014, and Aug 21, 2014.
He was also charged on the optional charge over 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 he had reason to believe that the document is false, in the same place and time.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on Aug 23. - FMT

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