Anwar's lawyers make final plea

Anwar's lawyers make final plea

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Defense lawyers on Monday began their final submissions on why Malaysia's ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim should be acquitted of sodomy, saying fellow ministers had fabricated evidence against him.

"It is beyond dispute that there was a high-level conspiracy by certain people to topple (Anwar) by procuring and using fabricated evidence," Christopher Fernando told trial Judge Arifin Jaka.

He said the conspiracy to topple Anwar from his post and the procuring of fabricated evidence "went hand in hand."

There were numerous instances of disagreements between Anwar and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad over contracts, projects, bailouts for Mahathir's children and compensation for cronies, Fernando said. "There was decidedly bad blood between (Anwar) and the prime minister."