Anwar’s sodomy accuser avoids testifying over affair claims

The High Court in Malaysia ruled on Monday that the young man who accused opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy will not have to testify over claims that he had an affair with a trial prosecutor.

Photo: Reuters

Anwar maintains that the case is a political conspiracy against him and applied to have the sodomy charges against him lifted last week.

Anwar’s lawyers asked the High Court to force Saiful Bukhari Azlan, as well as prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif, to take to the stand over claims that they were romantically involved.

Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah refused the request however, saying it was "not relevant to this case or this proceeding".

Prosecutor Yusof Zainal Abiden says that Farah Azlina was "merely a typist" and has no control over the direction of the prosecution team.

Senior lawyer and opposition politician Karpal Singh says that the allegated liason between a member of the prosecution and Saiful would be a serious offence and has brought the entire prosecution team into disrepute, according to the Malaysiakini website.

The affair allegation emerged in a political blog last month and shortly afterwards Farah Azlina was removed from the case.

No evidence has been offered in support of the claim.

Saiful accused Anwar of sodomising him at an upmarket Kuala Lumpur condominium in 2008. Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and if convicted, Anwar could face a sentence of 20 years in prison.