Surprise twist delays the trial of Anwar

Surprise twist delays the trial of Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): A surprise twist delayed the sex and corruption trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday when the chief prosecutor was called away to testify in a related criminal case.

Abdul Gani Patail, who is leading the prosecution against Anwar, had been subpoenaed to take the stand against Anwar's former tennis partner, who faces the death penalty for alleged illegal possession of live bullets.

Anwar's trial was to resume later Thursday, however. The other trial ended up being recessed until Jan. 25 to give a new lawyer on the defense team time to make his preparations.

In Anwar's case, now in its 14th day in court, prosecution witness Amir Junus, a former deputy chief of police intelligence, was to continue his testimony.

Amir had testified Wednesday that Anwar, when in power, had ordered him to use scare tactics to force retractions from Ummi Hafilda Ali and Azizan Abu Bakar, both of whom had accused Anwar of sexual misconduct.

The prosecution is trying to prove that Anwar abused his power by ordering police to arrest and obtain retractions from people who had written to authorities alleging his sexual misconduct.

Ummi, the sister of Anwar's former secretary, had accused Anwar of having sex with her brother's wife. Azizan, the politician's former chauffeur, claimed he was sodomized by his boss.

Anwar, 51, has repeatedly denied the 10 corruption and sex charges against him, saying they were fabricated to eliminate his political challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar's lawyers said on Thursday they would ask a court to free him on bail because he was not well. Attorney Sankaran Nair said an application for bail had been filed in court and would be heard on Saturday.

"Normally in cases like these, medical conditions are always a basis to ask for bail," Nair told reporters.

Anwar's bail application has been turned down by a lower court once and an appeal against it also failed. Trial Judge Augustine Paul had rejected it, saying his lawyers weren't able to prove that Anwar would not tamper with witnesses if released on bail.

Anwar suffers from a stomach disorder that causes intense heartburn, his family members have said. Although he does not appear to be in physical pain during his court appearances, his lawyers say his condition has worsened.