KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial came to an abrupt halt today following confusion over which apartment unit the defence team wanted to visit this afternoon to help establish an alibi for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader in his sodomy trial.
Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair said the defence team wanted to visit apartment unit 11-5-2 of Desa Damansara Condominium, but the keys provided for today were for unit 11-5-1, where Anwar was accused of sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
“There was some confusion as to which place we wanted to see. Defence wanted to see 11-5-2, where the owner of the units, Mr Hasanuddin, lived,” Sankara told reporters after the trial adjourned for the day.
The lawyer claimed that it was a minor confusion, and that he had already spoken to the owner’s lawyer, and arrangements are currently being made for another visit.
“As such, Saiful’s cross-examination has been deferred ... if necessary he might be called on Thursday, we’ll have to see,” said Sankara.
The doctors are being called as they had performed the medical check-up on Saiful on June 28, moments before he lodged a police report claiming that he had been sodomised by Anwar.
Judge Mohamed Zabidin Mohd Diah agreed for the trial to be postponed to Thursday morning as the defence team’s own forensic expert will be arriving on that day to attend court proceedings.
“We agreed that the doctors will testify once we have our expert witness here.
“Dr David Wells, a forensic expert from Victoria Institute of Forensic Medicine, Melbourne will be here on Thursday morning,” said Sankara.
Sankara also confirmed that other medical experts would be brought to court on July 14.
The former deputy prime minister has denied the charge, describing it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power” when the charge was read out to him. He is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction. The trial is taking place 18 months after Anwar was charged in court in August 2008.
Anwar was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences. He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.
He had earlier led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008.
