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."