Sodomy II: Anwar appeals judge’s refusal to recuse himself

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has filed an appeal over his failure to recuse the trial judge from further hearing his sodomy case.
Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair said he had filed a notice of appeal over the matter at the Court of Appeal registry at 11am on Friday.
The PKR adviser had on Thursday failed to recuse judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah from further hearing his sodomy trial.
In rejecting the disqualification application by Anwar. Justice Mohamad Zabidin said he did not find any reasons for him to recuse himself.
He said he would be running away from his responsibility as a judge if he were to recuse himself, adding that a judge who had taken an oath of office should not avoid carrying out the duty which has been entrusted to him.
Anwar, 63, claimed trial to sodomising his former personal aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 25, at the Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
On Feb 8, Anwar had applied to recuse the trial judge on grounds his two rulings in relation to the publication of a photograph taken during a visit to the Desa Damansara condominium where the alleged offence occurred and news reports of the trial in a Malay daily showed “an element of bias.”

photo courtesy of bro jinggo.


tunku : appeal after appeal, appeal after appeal, looks like never ending story from this moron.if i have not done anything wrong, i will expedite my case so that i can get out from it asap but this man claiming innocent(which he's not)so afraid of going to the court. they said they have very strong case, why worry then? he is delaying because he wants his gay friends from australia,turkey,usa etc to pressure the government.the melodrama queen of moron forgets that the matter is for the court to decide,not the government.the reason he wants to recuse the trial judge is also very weak and without basis.he's just trying to delay and buy more time.even karpal said it in the court that there won't be any delay tactics after this.that show they are playing dirty here.