Malaysia's Anwar says he is victim of Cabinet opponents
Malaysia's Anwar says he is victim of Cabinet opponents
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's sacked finance minister, Anwar Ibrahim, on Monday took the witness stand in his criminal trial and said he was the victim of scheming cabinet colleagues who wanted to quash corruption investigations.
Anwar, appearing as the first defense witness in his three- month-old corruption trial, depicted himself as a victim of political opponents and said police acted on their own to arrest two people who had accused him of sex crimes.
Deprived of the chance to address the allegations of sex crimes, Anwar sought to buttress his argument that political opponents forced him out of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's cabinet and had criminal charges brought against him.
Anwar was sacked in September and arrested later that month after leading 30,000 anti-government protesters through the capital. He has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of sodomy and corruption.
The four corruption charges under examination accuse Anwar of misusing his power in 1997 by interfering with a police investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by him.
Mismanagement
A relaxed Anwar said he was privy to many complaints about mismanagement and bribery while serving as chairman of the cabinet committee on management and good governance.
"As chairman of the committee on management and good governance, my responsibility is heavy and difficult, and not liked by many people, and this is known by the Anti-Corruption Agency and the attorney-general," he said.
"This is because the committee has accepted so many complaints on government mismanagement, bribery -- including accusations involving ministers, senior officers and even the prime minister himself," said Anwar.
The prosecution, led by Attorney-General Mohtar Abdullah, objected, saying Anwar's responsibilities as former head of the cabinet committee were irrelevant to the charges.
Defense counsel Raja Aziz Addruse said the questioning provided background for establishing a conspiracy against Anwar.
But High Court Judge Augustine Paul, who is judge and jury in the trial, ruled the line of questioning relating to Anwar's responsibilities as head of the cabinet committee was irrelevant.
After the trial had adjourned for the day, about 300 protesters shouted slogans in favor of Anwar and against Mahathir outside the courthouse.
In another development, a news report said on Monday that Mahathir had said those responsible for the beating of Anwar will get the punishment they deserve.
The first independent inquiry into the police beating of Anwar is scheduled to begin Feb. 22. An internal police investigation conducted last year did not determine who was responsible.