Sabah’s disqualified candidate arrested over riot at Tenom nomination centre
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Police fire tear gas as Peter Anthony's supporters cause a commotion outside a nomination centre in Sabah.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM VIDEO
KOTA KINABALU - Incumbent Melalap MP Peter Anthony was arrested over a riot that broke out at the nomination centre in Tenom, Sabah on Saturday evening.
Sabah Police Commissioner Idris Abdullah said the Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (PKDM) president was hauled in after a police report was lodged following the fracas.
Mr Anthony was released on police bail on Sunday morning.
Commissioner Idris said the police are investigating the case under the Election Offences Act 1954 as well as the Penal Code.
“The investigations then led to the arrest of Anthony to facilitate police probes,” he said in a statement on Sunday, adding that Anthony was detained at around midnight at the Karamunsing police station before being released on bail on Sunday morning.
Police were forced to fire tear gas at PKDM supporters, who turned aggressive as soon as they found out Anthony’s nomination papers for the Tenom parliamentary seat were rejected by the Election Commission (EC) at about 11.30am on Saturday.
Viral video clips showed supporters trying to force their way into the hall before Light Strike Force personnel fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The videos also showed a large group of supporters carrying their party flags running and shouting outside the nomination centre.
Police reinforcements were deployed from a neighbouring district to manage the situation, which was eventually brought under control at 2.38pm.
Anthony, who later lodged a police report over the rejection of his nomination papers, told reporters that he was perplexed as to why the EC pulled back his nomination papers despite approving his candidacy earlier.
He claimed his papers had been accepted earlier, but at 11am, he was informed that they had been rejected by the EC headquarters in Putrajaya.
He said he will also be filing an appeal with the High Court on Monday to get the court to decide whether he is eligible to contest.
Anthony was convicted in May for falsifying documents in relation to a system maintenance contract. He is appealing the case.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor subsequently condemned those who had caused trouble during the Tenom nomination process, saying there should not be any form of violence or unruly behaviour.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman urged all political parties and supporters to refrain from such actions to ensure a smooth election. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
