Hubungan Sulit Saiful-Farah Jejaskan Perbicaraan

Hubungan Sulit Saiful-Farah Jejaskan Perbicaraan Oleh Liz Gooch - New York Times

KUALA LUMPUR 3 Ogos - Pasukan peguam bela Ketua Pembangkang membuat permohonan semalam untuk menggugurkan pertuduhan liwat terhadap Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berdasarkan dakwaan hubungan romantik antara seorang timbalan pendakwa raya dan pengadu, Mohd Saiful Bukari Azlan.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya tersebut, Farah Azlina Latif, digugurkan daripada kes perbicaraan tersebut minggu lalu setelah satu laman web mendedahkan bahawa beliau menjalin hubungan dengan Saiful, bekas pembantu Anwar.

Peguam Negara memberitahu media bahawa Farah dikeluarkan demi menjaga kredibiliti pasukan pendakwaan.

Dalam sepucuk surat kepada pihak pembelaan, pendakwa raya memaklumkan kepada pihaknya tidak dapatkan mengesahkan dakwaan hubungan sulit terhadap pegawai undang-undang itu.

Semasa prosiding Isnin lalu, Anwar berkata integriti pasukan pendakwaan telah tercalar dan dikompromi.

“Ini menyokong dakwaan kita selama ini sejak awal lagi bahawa semua ini adalah satu sandiwara, perbicaraan yang bermotifkan politik dan pertuduhan yang direkacipta,” kata Anwar selepas perbicaraan ditangguhkan.

Penghujahan untuk menggugurkan kes tersebut akan didengar minggu depan.
Anwar juga membuat satu laporan polis terhadap Saiful dan Farah. Ketua pasukan pembelaan, Karpal Singh berkata pihaknya memandang serius kemungkinan Farah telah menyerahkan kertas siasatan kes kepada

Saiful dan beliau mahu pihak polis menyiasat samada kedua-dua individu itu telah melanggar.

Bagaimanapun salah seorang anggota pasukan pendakwaan menyifatkan dakwaan dalam laman web tersebut sebagai tuduhan tidak berasas.

Pihak pendakwaan berkata Farah adalah anggota bawahan tanpa mempunyai akses kepada maklumat sulit.

Anwar, bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri dihadap ke mahkamah atas tuduhan liwat dan salahguna kuasa pada tahun 1998.

Walaupun pertuduhan liwat kemudianya digugurkan, beliau merengkok selama enam tahun di dalam penjara.

Beliau telah berkali-kali mendakwa pendakwaan baru yang dihadapi beliau bertujuan menamatkan karier politik setelah pihak pembangkang mencapai kejayaan besar pada pilihan raya umum 2008. -SK

Affair Claim Could Disrupt Sodomy Trial
By LIZ GOOCH

Lawyers for the Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim moved on Monday to have sodomy charges against him dismissed, citing an allegation of a romantic link between a prosecutor and Mr. Anwar’s accuser.

The prosecutor, Farah Azlina Latif, was removed from the case last week after a Web site asserted that she was having an affair with Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a former aide to Mr. Anwar who says he sodomized him.

The attorney general told news outlets that Ms. Farah was removed from the prosecution team to protect its credibility with the public. The prosecution, in a letter to the defense, has said it was unable to verify the accusations of an affair.

At a hearing on Monday in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, where Mr. Anwar has been on trial since February, defense lawyers said the integrity of the prosecution had been compromised.

“This just supports our contention from the beginning that this is all a farce, a politically motivated trial and trumped-up charges,” Mr. Anwar said afterward. Arguments on the motion were scheduled for next week.

On Monday, Mr. Anwar filed a complaint with the police against Mr. Saiful and Ms. Farah. Karpal Singh, Mr. Anwar’s lead attorney, said that the defense was concerned that Ms. Farah might have passed court documents to Mr. Saiful, and that he wanted the police to investigate whether the two had violated the Official Secrets Act.

A prosecutor, Yusof Zainal Abiden, on Monday characterized the Web site’s accusation as “bare allegations” with no substance. The prosecution has said that Ms. Farah was junior member of the team with no access to confidential information.

Mr. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, was convicted of sodomy and abuse of power in 1998. Although that sodomy conviction was later overturned, he spent six years in prison.

He has repeatedly said the new charges were another attempt to end his political career after the opposition made gains in the 2008 elections.-NYT