Dr M: Judges found traces of homosexual acts-Malaysiakini

Chan Kok Leong | Jul 4, 08 3:27pm

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has weighed in on the debate of whether his former protege has ever engaged in homosexual practices in a blog entry today.

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In a posting on chedet.com this afternoon, the former premier said that all 10 judges who presided over the sodomy trials had found evidence of homosexual acts involving Anwar Ibrahim and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmita Atmadja.

“Many believe that after the Federal Court had rejected the charges brought against Anwar, it means that he is innocent and hence freed,” said Mahathir.

“But what I wish to point out is that only two out of the three judges had rejected the charges. Moreover, the judgment should be read carefully.”

In the posting entitled “Anwar”, the former prime minister reproduced a paragraph of the judgment.

“Even though reading the appeal record, we find evidence to confirm that the appellants (Anwar dan Sukma) were involved in homosexual activities and we are more inclined to believe that the alleged incident at Tivoli Villa did happen sometime, this court, as a court of law, may only convict the appellants if the prosecution has successfully proved that the alleged offences as stated in the charge, beyond reasonable doubt.”

During Mahathir’s administration, Anwar, who had fallen out with his boss, was charged with corruption and unnatural sex in 1998.

This culminated in a conviction of six and nine years for corruption and sodomy respectively.

However, in 2004 a panel of three Federal Court judges overturned his sodomy conviction by 2 to 1, citing contradictions in the prosecution’s case.

Current Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad and Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud found for Anwar while Rahmah Hussain dissented.

‘Let the courts decide’

Mahathir said that it was clear from the above extract that the judges were of the opinion that Anwar had engaged in homosexual acts.

But they had to overturn the conviction as a result of technicalities, he added.

“The technicalities may not be known to most people but what is clear is that the judges believed that he had engaged in those acts.

“So if we weigh in all the judges have who presided over his sodomy case, we find that only two (on technicalities) out of the 10 judges were of the opinion that he did not sodomise Azizan Abu Bakar,” Mahathir wrote.

Azizan was the former driver of Anwar’s wife and current PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Hence, Mahathir said, the conclusion of certain quarters that Anwar is innocent is not altogether true.

“Nevertheless, we now have a new case and we must leave it to the courts to decide what took place,” he added.

“From the outset, Wan Azizah has cast her doubts on the judicial integrity in Malaysia to try this case. But where was her outcry when they (Malaysian judges) overturned his conviction?

“What will she then say if the judges find that Anwar had sodomised Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan but declares him not guilty because of technicalities?” asked Mahathir.

Shahrir: Perhaps it’s his own plot – NST

2008/07/02

KUALA LUMPUR: “Maybe it’s his own plot.”

That was the cynical remark by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad when asked about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s allegation that the sodomy police report against him was a plot by the Barisan Nasional.

He said he did not understand why a report made by a person who was an assistant to Anwar was being linked to the Barisan Nasional government.

“If he has ambitions to be the next prime minister, surely he must have vetted the people he enlists.

“But it was his employee, so maybe it’s his and PKR’s own set-up.”
Shahrir said that if it was indeed a conspiracy by the BN, the coalition’s politicians would not have had their pictures taken with their “spy”.

“That would have been a silly move, we don’t seem to do our conspiracies very well,” he mocked.

Shahrir and other ministers had been photographed with Anwar’s accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

None of them remembered meeting the former student leader.

He said the BN government was busy forming long-term policies as it did not have fears of a takeover.

“If there are going to be crossovers, word would have got out by now.”

Posh condo: I didn’t say I never went – Malaysiakini

Andrew Ong | Jul 2, 08 7:01pm

Embattled PKR de facto

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leader Anwar Ibrahim said he had never denied going to the luxury condominium where his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan claimed to have been sodomised.

“I (have) never said that I have never been there,” he said at his Petaling Jaya office after sending off Kelantan menteri besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat who paid him a visit this afternoon.

Anwar added that he would elaborate more on the issue later.

Saiful, 23, is believed to have stated in a police report on Saturday that he was sodomised on June 26 at Unit 1151 in Kondominium Desa Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

In a report today, New Straits Times said it was believed that Anwar had access to the posh unit as it belonged to one of his friends.

Anwar also brushed off another report in the NST which claimed doctors at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur had found evidence that Saiful had engaged in anal sex.

“Their problem lah. He (Saiful) has to explain that,” said Anwar in his usual calm demeanor.

According to Bernama, HKL director Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain today denied ever releasing information of their medical records on Saiful.

To weather out the storm

However, Anwar refused to entertain a question on whether Saiful had ever accompanied him overseas.

“There are certain things which I would have to consult my lawyer first because investigations are in progress. All I can say is that there is nothing to worry about,” he said.

Over the past few days, a number of press reports have claimed that Saiful has also alleged that he was sodomised by Anwar when both were overseas including in Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

On Nik Aziz’s visit, Anwar said that the Kelantan mentri besar had expressed concern and regret over the fresh sodomy allegations – the second time in 10 years.

“He asked me to be patient and to weather out the storm. He is confident that we will see this through,” he added.

Anwar stressed that even with the sodomy allegations, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition comprising DAP, PAS and PKR was still strong.

“We will tread cautiously, in part due to the on-going BN media campaign (against us). I have to work with my lawyers to deal with this,” said the former deputy premier.