By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — The High Court hearing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim”s sodomy trial will revisit the Desa Damansara condominium after his accuser wraps up his testimony as the defence missed the control room in today’s visit.
Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Naira explained that the defence was unaware that the control room was going to be inspected.
“We finished the house and the carpark and got back. Unknown to us and Karpal and my client, the judge was taken to the control room with all the cameras,” Nair told reporters after the second day of the trial.
Anwar is charged with sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at the condominium on June 26, 2008. The opposition leader has denied the charge, the second in 12 years. He was freed in September 2004 after a 1999 conviction for sodomy and corruption.
“We didn’t know and they tried to contact us. So we said look, I want to see the place and it is not fair. So all parties must be there to confirm what they saw and ask questions. The reason why every must be there because it constitutes a court,” Nair said about today’s visit.
He confirmed that the court will visit after the prosecution finish questioning Saiful.
Earlier, Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden played the CCTV recording on 26 June 2008.
Anwar asked if he could move closer to the television from dock as he could not see the image clearly.
High Court judge Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah agreed and Anwar went to sit next to the defence table.
The CCTV recording showed Saiful entering the lift to go to Level 5 at 14.47 and leaving Level 5 to again enter the lift at 16.14.
Saiful was also on stand to confirm that it was him in the recording.
Yusof wanted to show CCTV recording of Saiful entering and leaving premises in his vehicles but computer hard disk crashed.
Yusof then proceeded to rely on image captures of the recording to prove that Saiful had visited Anwar at level five where he was allegedly sodomised.
Earlier today, the entire court left for the condominium in the leafy Damansara Heights enclave popular with many expatriates. The Malaysian Insider understands that Mohamed Zabidin ordered today’s site visit to follow-up on the earlier closed-door testimony of the complainant.
According to sources, Saiful led the judge to the unit and the room where the sexual act is purported to have taken place two years ago.
Anwar’s lead counsel Karpal Singh yesterday asked for Saiful’s testimony to be heard in-camera after he graphically described Anwar’s use of profanity in asking for sex. He also said the visit to the condominium required the use of a password which he said was “Mokhtar”.
The 24-year-old had also testified he had worked for Anwar for four months, from early March 2008 to June 28 of the same year.
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