Written by Associated Press Correspondents in Kuala Lumpur
Published in The Australian
June 30, 2008
POLICE opened an investigation yesterday into allegations that Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim sodomised his male aide, sparking fears he could be sent back to prison on the same charge that ousted him from Malaysia's government a decade ago.
Mr Anwar immediately retreated to the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur, amid concerns for his safety. He denounced the allegation, made in a complaint to police filed by the 23-year-old aide, as "a complete fabrication".
The dramatic developments, which began to unfold just before midnight on Saturday (local time), will have a severe impact on Malaysian politics, which have been in turmoil since elections on March 8 handed the governing National Front coalition its worst-ever result.
Mr Anwar, 60, resurrected his political career after leading the opposition to spectacular gains in the elections.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi insisted the Government was not responsible for the accusation, saying there was no conspiracy "to cause (Anwar) trouble or harass him or raise such issues to undermine him".
Asked about Mr Anwar's denial, Mr Abdullah said it "was common for an accused person" to claim innocence.
Mr Anwar said the accusation was engineered by "interested parties" to prevent him from exposing the national police chief, Musa Hassan, and the Attorney-General, Abdul Gani Patail, for their alleged roles in having him accused of sodomising his driver in 1998 and of abusing his power to cover up the action.
Then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad fired Mr Anwar as his deputy. He was convicted on both charges, but Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004.
Mr Anwar has always insisted he was framed to stop him challenging Dr Mahathir. Mr Anwar claimed he recently obtained evidence to show Mr Musa and Mr Abdul Gani fabricated evidence against him in 1998.
"I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress," he said yesterday.
Criminal Investigation Department chief Bakri Zinin said the aide filed a complaint claiming Mr Anwar had sodomised him at a condominium in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb.
Mr Bakri indicated Mr Anwar faced no immediate threat of arrest, stressing police had just begun their investigation. "We want to establish the allegation first, to see whether there is truth or not," he told a news conference. "We will conduct a thorough investigation and be fair to both sides."
Mr Bakri warned Mr Anwar's supporters against launching another round of the protests that erupted after his sacking a decade ago, saying: "If you want to create havoc, we will deal with you according to the law."
Political blogger Ahirudin Attan posted a transcript of the police complaint, in which the man claimed Mr Anwar sodomised him "without my consent" on Thursday. He said it was not the first time, and that the complaint was made to "obtain defence and justice for myself".
Sodomy, even if consensual, is punishable by 20 years' jail in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Mr Anwar was attending a party meeting in a hotel near Kuala Lumpur, but he moved to the Turkish embassy early yesterday amid concerns he could be arrested. "Because he is considered a threat to the Government, we are concerned about his safety. He can't afford to be detained again," party deputy president Syed Husin Ali said.
The People's Justice Party identified the accuser as Mr Anwar's assistant, who started working for him in March. Mr Anwar claimed the allegation was "clearly a desperate attempt bythe ... regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice".
The National Front coalition lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority in March, and ceded control of five of Malaysia's 13 states to Mr Anwar's opposition alliance.
The ban on Mr Anwar holding political office ended in April, and he has indicated he wants to re-enter parliament through a by-election, which would make him eligible to become prime minister.
Published in The Australian
June 30, 2008
POLICE opened an investigation yesterday into allegations that Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim sodomised his male aide, sparking fears he could be sent back to prison on the same charge that ousted him from Malaysia's government a decade ago.
Mr Anwar immediately retreated to the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur, amid concerns for his safety. He denounced the allegation, made in a complaint to police filed by the 23-year-old aide, as "a complete fabrication".
The dramatic developments, which began to unfold just before midnight on Saturday (local time), will have a severe impact on Malaysian politics, which have been in turmoil since elections on March 8 handed the governing National Front coalition its worst-ever result.
Mr Anwar, 60, resurrected his political career after leading the opposition to spectacular gains in the elections.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi insisted the Government was not responsible for the accusation, saying there was no conspiracy "to cause (Anwar) trouble or harass him or raise such issues to undermine him".
Asked about Mr Anwar's denial, Mr Abdullah said it "was common for an accused person" to claim innocence.
Mr Anwar said the accusation was engineered by "interested parties" to prevent him from exposing the national police chief, Musa Hassan, and the Attorney-General, Abdul Gani Patail, for their alleged roles in having him accused of sodomising his driver in 1998 and of abusing his power to cover up the action.
Then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad fired Mr Anwar as his deputy. He was convicted on both charges, but Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004.
Mr Anwar has always insisted he was framed to stop him challenging Dr Mahathir. Mr Anwar claimed he recently obtained evidence to show Mr Musa and Mr Abdul Gani fabricated evidence against him in 1998.
"I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress," he said yesterday.
Criminal Investigation Department chief Bakri Zinin said the aide filed a complaint claiming Mr Anwar had sodomised him at a condominium in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb.
Mr Bakri indicated Mr Anwar faced no immediate threat of arrest, stressing police had just begun their investigation. "We want to establish the allegation first, to see whether there is truth or not," he told a news conference. "We will conduct a thorough investigation and be fair to both sides."
Mr Bakri warned Mr Anwar's supporters against launching another round of the protests that erupted after his sacking a decade ago, saying: "If you want to create havoc, we will deal with you according to the law."
Political blogger Ahirudin Attan posted a transcript of the police complaint, in which the man claimed Mr Anwar sodomised him "without my consent" on Thursday. He said it was not the first time, and that the complaint was made to "obtain defence and justice for myself".
Sodomy, even if consensual, is punishable by 20 years' jail in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Mr Anwar was attending a party meeting in a hotel near Kuala Lumpur, but he moved to the Turkish embassy early yesterday amid concerns he could be arrested. "Because he is considered a threat to the Government, we are concerned about his safety. He can't afford to be detained again," party deputy president Syed Husin Ali said.
The People's Justice Party identified the accuser as Mr Anwar's assistant, who started working for him in March. Mr Anwar claimed the allegation was "clearly a desperate attempt bythe ... regime to arrest the movement of the Malaysian people towards freedom, democracy and justice".
The National Front coalition lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority in March, and ceded control of five of Malaysia's 13 states to Mr Anwar's opposition alliance.
The ban on Mr Anwar holding political office ended in April, and he has indicated he wants to re-enter parliament through a by-election, which would make him eligible to become prime minister.