Plot against Anwar 'irrelevant': Court<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's High Court ruled on
\nTuesday that any evidence of a political conspiracy against
\nousted deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was \"irrelevant\" to his
\ncorruption trial.<\/p>\n
\"Evidence may be adduced, if any, to show there was a
\nconspiracy by the police to change their stand and to change
\ntheir evidence and no further,\" Judge Augustine Paul said as
\nAnwar appeared for the second day in the witness box.<\/p>\n
\"Political conspiracy against the accused, if any, is
\nirrelevant,\" he said after Anwar sought to submit a document said
\nto be a secret police report specifically naming politicians
\ninvolved in the alleged plot.<\/p>\n
Despite objections from the prosecution team led by Attorney
\nGeneral Mohtar Abdullah, Justice Paul allowed the document to be
\nadmitted as evidence.<\/p>\n
\"But there should be no publication of it and no questions on
\nit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Anwar said police gave him a copy of the report on Sept. 3,
\n1997, after sending it to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
\nHe said it was given to him by Mohamed Said Awang, the former
\npolice special branch head, who testified earlier that there was
\nno such report.<\/p>\n
Anwar, 51, looked calm and confident as he defended himself
\nfor the second day in the trial, which started in early November,
\ntwo months after he was dismissed by Mahathir.<\/p>\n
This trial is on four charges of corruption to cover up
\nallegations against him. Anwar also faces a fifth corruption
\ncharge and five counts of sodomy.<\/p>\n
The judge's ruling on the irrelevance of any political
\nconspiracy -- one of the main aspects of the defense -- followed
\nAnwar's testimony about what he described as a \"major difference\"
\nwith Mahathir over economic policy.<\/p>\n
Anwar, who was also finance minister, said he \"sensed a change
\nin attitude\" among police investigating sex allegations after
\nreceiving the secret police report detailing the names of the
\nalleged conspirators.<\/p>\n
The change \"related to political and economic developments in
\nthe country, the financial crisis engulfing the region and
\ndifferences in policies advocated with this financial and
\neconomic crisis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Anwar indicated earlier that at least four politicians were
\ninvolved in the plot including Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin
\nand Domestic Trade and Comsumer Affairs Minister Megat Junid
\nMegat Ayob.<\/p>\n
Others named were Rahim Thamby Chik, the former chief minister
\nof the state of Malacca, and Mahathir's private secretary Aziz
\nShamsuddin.<\/p>\n
As the trial adjourned for the day, about 200 Anwar supporters
\ndemonstrated on a riverbank across from the courthouse, holding
\nup a banner saying, \"Conspiracy Revealed\".<\/p>\n
The protesters shouted \"Reformasi\" (reform) and \"Up, Up with
\nAnwar, Down, Down with Mahathir\".<\/p>\n
One of Anwar's lawyers said the judge's ruling struck at a
\ncentral plank of the defense, and that they would now try to
\nprove that police had plotted against the former minister.<\/p>\n
\"I think we have to follow the ruling although we are not
\nhappy about it,\" defense lawyer Pawancheek Marican told reporters
\noutside the courthouse.<\/p>\n
\"The political conspiracy was the one we advanced as one of
\nour strongest defenses, but there is also another aspect to the
\nargument which is conspiracy by the police.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/plot-against-anwar-irrelevant-court-1447893297",
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