Date set for Malaysian leader's trial on sodomy charge
Kuala Lumpur |Tuesday, 2009 12:05:07 PM IST
 

The High Court Tuesday set Nov 23 to hear Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against trial on a sodomy charge against him.

The rejection of the appeal would means commencement of the trial on the same day.

On March 10, Ibrahim, 62, had claimed trial to sodomising his former personal aide Mohammed Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 24, in June last year.

This is the second sodomy charge since 1998 when Ibrahim, then deputy prime minister, was ousted from office and underwent a long period of imprisonment.

The Court of Appeal will rule this Friday if Ibrahim will get documents and DNA samples he claims are crucial for his defence in the sodomy trial, Star Online, website of The Star newspaper said Tuesday.

Azlan, the alleged victim, was present in court.

He later told reporters: "I have been ready for a very long time to give evidence, at any time even if the court sets the date for tomorrow."

Ibrahim is currently leading main opposition Parti Keadalan Rakyat (PKR), and

is considered the "de facto leader" of the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

The PR controls four of Malaysia's 13 states and has strong presence in parliament.

Ibrahim's wife and alliance president, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is under pressure to 'sack' her husband if she wants the alliance to survive.

Friends of the couple have demanded that she remove Ibrahim and to "stop covering up her husband's weaknesses".

The latest to join in Monday was Malaysian Indian United Party president K.S. Nallakarupan. He said Wan Azizah should take up former PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohammed Nor's challenge "to sack her husband on moral grounds".

"Wan Azizah should be given the best actress award for being able to play the same script for the past 12 years and people still believe her," the newspaper quoted Nallakarupan as saying.

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( 322 Words)

2009-11-03-10:34:15 (IANS)

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