ANWAR IBRAHIM TRIALS-UPDATE

The lanky 24-year-old is the key witness in the trial, in which the prosecution fired the first salvo yesterday, telling the court they would prove that semen specimens taken from Mohd Saiful’s anus belonged to Anwar.

Further sordid details, however, will not be for public consumption as Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah ordered that the court proceedings be held in camera following a request by lead counsel Karpal Singh.

Anwar: Worse things have been said about me

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said worse things were said about him in 1998 when he was first accused of sodomy.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the court proceedings yesterday, he said his immediate reaction to the first day of his second sodomy trial was “nothing new”.

“I am not really surprised but I would not wish this to happen. We have to deal with it,” he said.

Anwar said people would not be as gullible to believe everything that was said this time around.

“I think they would continue to have their say but we will have our say, too,” he said when asked if this trial would have an impact on his political career.

Asked about his move to subpoena Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Anwar said they would have to appear in court one day.

Yesterday, dozens of police and general operations force personnel lined the court complex entrance as the first day of the trial began.

Just before the trial started at 2.30pm, PKR strategic director Tian Chua attempted to walk into the court with a folded banner but was stopped by police.

Tian Chua and former Gerak Malaysia chief Nazri Yunus proceeded to lead a ‘mini-rally’ of PKR supporters present there, shouting Reformasi and other slogans at the start and end of the trial.

Local and foreign press photographers and videographers were barred from coming near the automatic doors leading into the complex lobby.

As a result, they were not able to get a picture of Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan who was the first person to testify yesterday.



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Thursday February 4, 2010
Saiful: Anwar asked for sex

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the key witness in the second Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial, startled the High Court here when he said the Opposition Leader used a four-letter slang word to ask him to have sex with him in 2008.

The former personal aide of Anwar told a hushed courtroom that he had gone to meet the PKR leader at a unit of the Desa Damansara Condominium at 2.45pm on June 26, 2008, when the latter asked him in English: “Can I f*** you today?”

Those present in the packed courtroom were stunned with the profanity used although there was some sniggering.

Mohd Saiful, 24, who said he was “angry and scared” when he heard Anwar’s question, added: “I rejected his request. I told him that I did not want to do it.”

Anwar then asked him in an angry tone: “What?”

“I repeated my words. I was not willing to do it. He was angry. At that time, I was afraid,” he said on the first day of the high-profile trial.

After he said no to Anwar, he was told to go into the master bedroom.

“I went to the room first. Shortly later, Anwar entered and closed the curtains,” said Mohd Saiful, who was questioned by Solicitor-General (II) Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden,

He said he stood still while Anwar went about switching off the lights. However, there was still light from the bathroom and from outside filtering in between the curtains.

Anwar, Mohd Saiful said, asked him to “clean up” in the bathroom.

“I removed my clothes and washed up. I took a towel from the washroom and donned it,” he said.

When he returned to the room, Anwar was standing at the edge of the bed, clad in a towel.

“He directed me to go to him and then hugged me while we were standing,” he said.

At this point, lead counsel Karpal Singh asked the court to allow the proceedings to be held in camera (closed proceedings).

High Court judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, who then adjourned the trial, ordered the proceedings at 9.30am today to be held in camera.

All through this testimony, Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail kept looking at her daughters – Nurul Hana and Nurul Nuha – in court and rubbed their shoulders.

Anwar was busy taking down notes.

Earlier, Mohd Saiful said he met Anwar at his office in Section 16, Petaling Jaya, and was told by the PKR leader to meet him at the condominium later that day to discuss his work schedule.

He said he had been to the condominium many times and had been told by Anwar that the condominium unit belonged to one Hasanuddin.

When he reached the condominium, he was queried by a security guard at the guardhouse over his visit but he just replied “Mokhtar”.

Asked why he used “Mokhtar” as a password to enter the condominium, he said he was told to do so by a staff member of the condo management earlier.

He said he passed by a door to go to a block where there was a specific intercom to allow guests access to the units.

“I was allowed up when I said the word ‘Mokhtar’,” Saiful said.

He met Anwar, passed a document to him and they were discussing the work schedule when Anwar asked him to have sex.

Earlier yesterday, both the prosecution and defence teams met Court of Appeal president Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff in chambers to get an early date for the review application by Anwar over the Federal Court ruling denying him access to key documents.

Speaking to reporters in the court lobby later, Karpal said Justice Alauddin told them that he would get a date for the hearing of the review application by the end of this week.

Thursday February 4, 2010
Daughter’s outburst stuns many in courtroom

KUALA LUMPUR: Those present at the second Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial were stunned when one of his daughters shouted “Bertaubatlah! (repent!)” as key witness Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan walked into the courtroom.

Mohd Saiful, who was clad in dark blue jacket and pants, calmly walked to the witness stand without turning to look at the woman, who was seated in the first row of the packed courtroom.

The Opposition Leader’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, touched her daughter’s shoulder urging her to remain silent in court.

Earlier, Anwar pleaded not guilty to the sodomy charge, saying that it was frivolous.

“It is a malicious charge and slanderous,” he said when a court interpreter read the charge to him on the first day of the high-profile trial.

Lead prosecutor Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden then proceeded to read out a three-page opening statement.

Many in the public gallery shook their heads when he read out the statement.

He then called Mohd Saiful, the first witness, to testify.

Earlier, Anwar’s lead counsel Karpal Singh applied to stay the trial pending the parties’ meeting with Court of Appeal president Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff to get an early date for the hearing of appeal by Anwar over his failure to strike out his sodomy charge.

“This trial should not be rushed. It will be in accordance with law to exhaust all legal remedy which are open to us,” he said.

DPP Mohd Yusof however argued that the trial should proceed as a stay had been denied by the High Court on Tuesday.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah then ordered for the sodomy trial to proceed, saying that he did not see any reason to postpone it.

Earlier, before the case was recalled at 3.27pm, Anwar shared a light moment with those in the public gallery, saying: “Who needs a space? There’s plenty of empty space in the dock.”