Anwar witness called 'unreliable'

Anwar witness called 'unreliable'

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Lawyers for former Malaysian deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim on Monday urged the judge hearing his sodomy trial to reject what they called false evidence from a key witness.

Defense counsel Christopher Fernando told judge Arifin Jaka that witness Azizan Abu Bakar, the man allegedly sodomized by Anwar, was "the most unreliable person".

Anwar's lawyers applied on Aug. 5 for impeachment proceedings against Azizan which would have meant his testimony in the sodomy trial was thrown out.

At one point Arifin had blasted Azizan, Anwar's former driver, for giving evidence containing "material discrepancy".

Fernando said Azizan had come to court "so brazenly to say he was sodomized in 1993 after having said (in Anwar's previous corruption trial) that he was not sodomized after 1992".