Anwar accuses police chief of beating him

Anwar accuses police chief of beating him

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's ousted deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim accused former police chief Abdul Rahim Noor on Tuesday
of beating him unconscious on the night of his arrest last year.

Anwar also told a royal commission of inquiry he was later
thrown in a "dungeon" in a secret police hideout where he
languished without medical treatment for "several nights."

The dramatic testimony came on the second day of the inquiry
into Anwar's injuries in detention, called after an internal
probe found that Anwar was assaulted by unidentified police.

Rahim quit after the results of the probe were announced last
month and is expected to appear at the inquiry, which is running
concurrently with Anwar's trial on four corruption charges.

Anwar recalled how commandos with balaclavas broke down the
door of his house and stormed a news conference to arrest him
shortly after evening prayers on the night of Sept. 20.

Upon his arrival at the federal police headquarters, Anwar
said he was blindfolded, seated on a cement slab and handcuffed
from behind.

"I was seated quietly, praying to God. I heard footsteps
coming into the cell. I stood up. In a matter of seconds, there
was a strong hard punch which landed above my left eye and my
left forehead. One strong hard punch.

"I fell backwards on the cement slab. Someone grabbed my hand,
my right upper arm, then I was hit again -- a heavy blow on the
top right of my head. Then left, a lot of blows and a karate chop
of the left side of my neck.

"Then left, right and hard strong slaps. The left slaps more
towards the ear, right towards the front side of the face and
close to the mouth," he said.

"It happened suddenly and ended abruptly," Anwar said, adding
he could "hear and sense as if someone was being pushed or pulled
away."

"From the footsteps, I was quite certain there was at least
two people inside the cell," Anwar said. "I heard one clearing
his throat. It sounded familiar," he added. "Crooks sometimes
leave traces."

Anwar, who appeared in court with a black eye in late
September, said he was "absolutely certain one person assaulted
me" and that he was "equally certain there was another person
beside him" at the time.

"I did not see but am certain I can identify the clearing of
the throat. You see him on TV. You meet him all the time. I knew
it was Tan Sri Rahim Noor," Anwar said. "Immediately before the
assault, I knew the clearing of the throat was Tan Sri Rahim
Noor."

Asked if he was certain, he said: "There is a possibility of a
mistake. But certainty is there. I'm quite confident of saying it
with a clear conscience."

Investigating panel member Yeoh Poh Hong, an orthopedic
surgeon, later asked Anwar if he asked anyone if they were aware
of the identity of his attacker.

"Yes. After the second day, when I was a bit more conscious,
some policemen cried. Some apologized. They mentioned the name of
Tan Sri Rahim Noor," he said, adding that he was also told that
criminal investigation chief Yaacob Mohamed Amin and his deputy
Ramli Yusof were also present for the assault.

On Monday, a police officer testified that Rahim and Yaacob
entered the area where Anwar was taken on the night of his
arrest.

"I heard a groan coming from the direction of the lock-up.
Shortly after that, Rahim and Yaacob walked past me. They did not
say anything," said Koh Hong San, the officer who served the
arrest warrant on Anwar.

During Tuesday's hearing, Anwar also said he was transferred
from police headquarters on Sept. 24 to a secret police hideout
where he was examined by a doctor and given medication for the
first time since being assaulted.