Anwar's brother tells court of police threat

Anwar's brother tells court of police threat

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): The adopted brother of Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday he falsely accused the former minister of sodomy after Malaysian police had sexually abused him and threatened to have him shot.

Sukma Darmawan, standing trial with the former deputy prime minister on sodomy charges, told the High Court that after his arrest in September, police threatened to frame him on an ammunition charge that carries the mandatory death sentence or to hire a gunman to shoot him.

"They said they could plant bullets in my car," Sukma told the court. "They said bullets were cheap, only 45 cents each."

Sukma said police told him that if he did not incriminate Anwar, he could face indefinite detention in prison or, like a businessman friend of Anwar's, be indicted on an ammunition charge that carries the mandatory death sentence if convicted.

"They said they could hire anyone to shoot me, saying nobody would suspect that it was the police who had shot you," said Sukma, who faces two charges of sodomy which each carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail and whipping.

Sukma told the court that he yielded to police "threats and abuses", and accused Anwar of having sodomized him. "I was scared, frustrated, miserable and lost all hope," he said.

Sukma was testifying on the 16th day of his joint trial with Anwar. They are accused of sodomizing the Anwar family's former driver, Azizan Abu Bakar.

Sukma was sentenced to six months jail in September after he confessed to sex with Anwar. He has since retracted his plea and the High Court is holding a trial-within-a-trial to determine if his confession can be admitted as evidence in his present trial.

Anwar, who was sacked as finance minister and deputy prime minister in September, has been serving a six-year jail sentence since April for corruption. He says he was the victim of a plot by political enemies.

Sukma told the High Court a police officer coached him on the sex confession which he was to make before a magistrate.

"He said I had to give a very detailed picture of sexual liaisons between me, Datuk Seri Anwar and Azizan," Sukma said. "He said never mind if you get other things wrong, just get the sex part right."

Sukma said that before he confessed, police taunted him.

He said one officer tore his shirt and pinched his nipples hard while humiliating him with debasing words. "I tried to get away but could not as my hands were cuffed," Sukma said, adding that he was given no food during his first day in detention and was put alone in his underwear in a small cell which he said was wet and cold.