Star witness says she tried to 'save' brother from Anwar
Star witness says she tried to 'save' brother from Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A star witness who lodged accusations of sexual misconduct against Anwar Ibrahim took the witness stand for the first time on Monday and told how she tried to "save" her brother from the former deputy premier.
Ummi Hafilda Aziz, the sister of Anwar's then private secretary, told Anwar's trial she appealed for help in a letter she sent to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Aug. 5 last year.
"There were two main charges in the report I sent to the prime minister. One was that he was a homosexual and that one of the victims brave enough to come forward was Anwar's driver, Azizan Abu Bakar. The other was that he had an affair with Shamsiddah Taharin, the wife of his private secretary," she said.
"I asked the prime minister to investigate all the reports and to provide protection for myself and my family in order to uphold the truth, the party and the country," the advertising agency director said.
"Then I asked Dr. Mahathir to save my brother who was working with the accused," she said, referring to her brother Azmin Mohamad Ali, the private secretary whose wife Shamsiddah allegedly had the affair with Anwar.
Ummi, dressed in a black suit with yellow trim, refused to look at Anwar as she identified him to the court. Her testimony is crucial to the case, and observers have been waiting for the moment when she would take the stand.
"I requested appropriate punishment if the report I submitted was found to be true so that other leaders who were in power would not abuse their position."
Meanwhile in a related development, a court approved an application to release Anwar's adopted brother on bail pending his appeal against a sodomy conviction.
A defense lawyer said the high court decision followed arguments that Indonesian-born Sukma Darmawan should be "allowed to be in an atmosphere without restraint" during the Moslem fasting month of Ramadhan which started here on Sunday.
Sukma, along with Pakistani biologist and Islamic scholar Munawar Anees, are appealing their six-month sentences which were handed down the day before Anwar was arrested on Sept. 20. Both allege that police forced them into confessing that they were sodomized by Anwar.
Ummi told the court earlier police threatened to detain her for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA) if she failed to retract the allegations.
Ummi said she was interrogated by police from midnight to seven in the morning after she and the driver Azizan were arrested on Aug. 17.
"The manner in which I was interrogated was rough and filled with threats," she said. "I was sure my letter had strong foundation for police to conduct an investigation. But when I refused to make a retraction, they continued their mental torture on me to change my position."
Ummi said she finally agreed after being threatened by a deputy superintendent identified as Aziz Hussein.
"He threatened to lock me up and detain me under ISA for two years," she said, referring to the draconian Malaysian law which provides for indefinite detention without trial.
Ummi said she signed a retraction letter and was released around midnight on Aug. 18 after police searched her office and seized a diskette along with copies of her letter, Azizan's statement and a handwritten draft.
Anwar is accused on four counts of corruption of using his position to cover up the claims of sexual misconduct. Fired on Sept. 2 and arrested 18 days later, Anwar faces a fifth corruption charge and five charges of sodomy, a criminal offense with a maximum penalty of 20 years jail.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, with his defense team alleging a political conspiracy to being him down.