Sodomy II: Anwar’s press statements have scandalised court, says prosecution

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim  has made press statements which have scandalised the court, the prosecution said Thursday.

Lead prosecutor Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said that he had been directed by the Attorney-General to inform the court over statements made by Anwar following the close of proceedings on the Tuesday which amounted to contempt of court.

Shafee said he did not mean to interrupt proceedings but wished to bring the issue before the court.
He said Anwar’s statements implied that the court is not independent and worked with the government.

“This suggestion is going beyond proper criticism of the court,” said Shafee.
He added that the A-G as guardian of public interest felt that he would have failed in his duty if did not raise the matter.

Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, however, said the court would continue with proceedings and instructed Anwar’s defence team to begin rebuttals to the prosecution’s earlier submissions.

A five-member panel of the Federal Court led by Chief Justice Arifin resumed Thursday to hear replies from the defence led by former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram.

Anwar is appealing to set aside a five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

On Jan 9, 2012, the High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 27, on grounds that the court could not be 100% certain on the integrity of samples taken for DNA testing from the alleged victim.

The court had ruled that the samples could have been compromised before they reached the chemistry department for analysis.

However, on Mar 7 this year, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s judgment and found Anwar guilty of sodomising Mohd Saiful.

The Court of Appeal held that the trial judge had erred in his findings about the samples, which were based on the evidence of two expert witnesses called by the defence.