Anwar claims statement to police altered

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed his statement to the police following his arrest in 2008 was different from that which was tendered as evidence in his sodomy trial today.

He told the High Court today that there were stark differences between what was produced in court today, and the copy of his statement that he gave to DSP Jude Pereira on July 16, 2008.

Anwar testified that the statement produced in court today was not the same as the one his lawyer Sankara Nair had received on November 14, 2008 — nearly four months after his overnight arrest at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

Among the differences raised by the PKR de facto leader was the fact that there was an entire page missing from the statement served to Sankara compared with the one he read in court today.

“My point is 112 (the statement) has two versions — sent to us and what is being shown to me now,” said Anwar. ““What’s sent to me is not the copy of original.”

He said that the missing page also contained signatures of both Anwar and Pereira.

Anwar also said that Pereira’s name and designation were not included in the copy given to Sankara, while the one given by the prosecution had Pereira’s name and designation.

The 63- year old politician also said that the copy of the statement served to him did not contain the word “sulit” while the one produced today did.

Karpal Singh, Anwar’s counsel, echoed his client’s testimonies later.

“We are saying that the 112 statement recorded by Jude differs from the one served to Sankara,” said the veteran lawyer.

Anwar maintained his stand that no grounds of arrest were given except the reading of the charge.

“There was not even a police report, which I received 4-5 months later,” he said. “You don't just arrest a person, you must have grounds, basis .”

When asked by Karpal what he understood by the term “rakaman percakapan selesai”, Anwar said that it meant the interrogation had been completed.

“I gave my explanation, denied charge, cooperated fully with Jude. What I understood from ‘selesai’ means it’s finished, that I could go back home,” he added.

Anwar’s lawyers have argued that several items obtained by the police from a holding cell where Anwar was held overnight on July 17, 2008, were illegally obtained, and want them to be rendered inadmissible, hence the reason for a trial-within-a-trial.

The trial will resume on Monday morning with both the defence and prosecution presenting their final submissions for trial judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah to decide.
He is expected to pass a ruling on the matter on Monday itself.

The complainant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, has said that Anwar, his ex-boss, had sodomised him at a luxury condominium in upper-class Bukit Damansara here on June 26, 2008.
Saiful, now aged 25, has never named anyone else.

Anwar is facing sodomy charges for the second time.

He 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.

He 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 led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008



comments

UMNO loves to frame people because they cannot stop cheating, lying, stealing, and even killing. All the UMNO cybertroopers here are satanic sycophants whose intentions are only to perpetuate the evil rule of the Nazi-like party. There is nothing else for them to do but greed, blood-sucking, race-bashing, and lie-spreading - everything that their holy book tells them not to do. Your Allah is watching, little devils.

UMNO failed in Sodomy 1. They are trying their best on Sodomy 2. God have shown us the fate of Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan leaders. It wont be long for the fate of our Malaysian leaders too. Nothing in this world will remain for ever.

We know from the beginning of this trial that the prosecution will conduct a trial by ambush. Deny all the evidence to the defence--Saiful's police statement, doctors' notes, etc. As everybody guessed and know that the prosecution was planning all along to change the evidence as the trial process based on what the defence said or did not say. In the past, we thought that these things only happen in Russia.

End of day, we all know the BN controlled police, judiciary, AG is out to nail Anwar. TDM will be very worried when the opposition wins as his whole family will have live in exile. His proxy now as PM is there to ensure that Anwar is nailed.