KOTA KINABALU: The prisons department has refuted claims of special treatment in the release of former Sabah infrastructure minister Datuk Peter Anthony under the Licensed Prisoner Release Program.
According to the department, Peter was only given consideration for parole after fulfilling the eligibility requirements and completing the necessary screening and evaluation procedure.
A prisoner must have completed at least one-third of their sentence in order to be eligible for parole, according to FMT, but fulfilling the requirement does not guaranty release.
The remainder of the sentence imposed by the court has not been overturned by his release on parole.
It said in a statement today that “he continues to serve the remaining sentence term in the community and remains subject to the stipulated conditions, regulations, and monitoring throughout that period.”.
In relation to a maintenance and service contract, Peter was found guilty in 2022 of falsifying a letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) eleven years prior.
After his final appeal to have his conviction overturned was denied on March 4, 2025, he was ordered to start serving his three-year prison sentence last year.
In March of this year, he was granted parole. According to the prisons department, a committee consisting of senior officers and representatives from pertinent agencies, led by the commissioner-general of prisons, made parole decisions.
It stated that evaluations considered a number of variables, such as a prisoner’s good behavior, rehabilitation progress, involvement in rehabilitation programs, preparedness for community reintegration, family support, and employment prospects.
“Eligible prospects are granted parole regardless of their background, position, status, or influence. Advantage is not granted based on an individual’s status,” he added.
