Plot against Anwar 'irrelevant': Court

Plot against Anwar 'irrelevant': Court

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's High Court ruled on
Tuesday that any evidence of a political conspiracy against
ousted deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim was "irrelevant" to his
corruption trial.

"Evidence may be adduced, if any, to show there was a
conspiracy by the police to change their stand and to change
their evidence and no further," Judge Augustine Paul said as
Anwar appeared for the second day in the witness box.

"Political conspiracy against the accused, if any, is
irrelevant," he said after Anwar sought to submit a document said
to be a secret police report specifically naming politicians
involved in the alleged plot.

Despite objections from the prosecution team led by Attorney
General Mohtar Abdullah, Justice Paul allowed the document to be
admitted as evidence.

"But there should be no publication of it and no questions on
it," he said.

Anwar said police gave him a copy of the report on Sept. 3,
1997, after sending it to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
He said it was given to him by Mohamed Said Awang, the former
police special branch head, who testified earlier that there was
no such report.

Anwar, 51, looked calm and confident as he defended himself
for the second day in the trial, which started in early November,
two months after he was dismissed by Mahathir.

This trial is on four charges of corruption to cover up
allegations against him. Anwar also faces a fifth corruption
charge and five counts of sodomy.

The judge's ruling on the irrelevance of any political
conspiracy -- one of the main aspects of the defense -- followed
Anwar's testimony about what he described as a "major difference"
with Mahathir over economic policy.

Anwar, who was also finance minister, said he "sensed a change
in attitude" among police investigating sex allegations after
receiving the secret police report detailing the names of the
alleged conspirators.

The change "related to political and economic developments in
the country, the financial crisis engulfing the region and
differences in policies advocated with this financial and
economic crisis," he said.

Anwar indicated earlier that at least four politicians were
involved in the plot including Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin
and Domestic Trade and Comsumer Affairs Minister Megat Junid
Megat Ayob.

Others named were Rahim Thamby Chik, the former chief minister
of the state of Malacca, and Mahathir's private secretary Aziz
Shamsuddin.

As the trial adjourned for the day, about 200 Anwar supporters
demonstrated on a riverbank across from the courthouse, holding
up a banner saying, "Conspiracy Revealed".

The protesters shouted "Reformasi" (reform) and "Up, Up with
Anwar, Down, Down with Mahathir".

One of Anwar's lawyers said the judge's ruling struck at a
central plank of the defense, and that they would now try to
prove that police had plotted against the former minister.

"I think we have to follow the ruling although we are not
happy about it," defense lawyer Pawancheek Marican told reporters
outside the courthouse.

"The political conspiracy was the one we advanced as one of
our strongest defenses, but there is also another aspect to the
argument which is conspiracy by the police."