Malaysia pressed over Anwar case

Thu, 16 Sep 1999 | Source: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia's opposition and rights groups pressed the government on Wednesday to appoint a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged poisoning of jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar was admitted to hospital on Friday, bringing his sodomy trial to an abrupt halt, after producing a medical report he said proved a dangerously high level of arsenic poison in his urine.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad later said the poisoning could be a ploy to gain political mileage ahead of elections expected soon. Authorities also suggested Anwar could have been poisoned by food brought to him by his family.

View JSON | Print