Anwar battles sodomy charge in court - (ref. malaysiakini)

Report from Malaysiakini:


PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim is back at the Sessions Court today over the sodomy charge levelled against him by a former aide.

This morning Sessions judge SM Komathy Suppiah will be hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence counsel on whether the case can be transferred to the High Court.

At the last hearing, the prosecution had sought permission for the matter to be transferred to the High Court. However the defence team objected to the transfer notice as it was signed by attorney- general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail.


Their objection was on the basis that the AG should not have played any role in this case as he was being investigated following a complaint that the had tampered with evidence in Anwar's cases 10 years ago.

Justice Komathy then adjourned the matter to today to give both parties time to research the matter and to submit arguments.

the charge against anwar ibrahim sodomy allegation trial 070808At the Jalan Duta court complex, security has been heightened again for this trial, with several federal reserve unit trucks on standby and police personnel posted at various locations.

Two layers of police security were also in place for those registering to enter the court room.

Anwar arrived at the court complex at 9.50am and entered the courtroom eight minutes later. The case is set to begin at 10am.

The Opposition Leader was accompanied by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah.

When Anwar was asked by reporters on how he felt about the case today, he said: "You never know justice in this country".

About 50 supporters and several party leaders were present as a show of support.
Anwar had claimed trial on Aug 7 when charged with sodomising his former aide, 23-year-old Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

If convicted, he could face a 20-year jail term. He is currently out on a RM20,000 personal bond.

There is some fear among his supporters that his bail could be revoked, resulting in Anwar being held in prison while awaiting his trial - a process that could take months.

However, the issue was not raised in court previously and is not expected to be raised today either.




More updates as more news comes in.