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.