Malaysian judge adjourns Anwar's sodomy trial until Friday

January 27, 2000
Web posted at: 3:53 p.m. HKT (0753 GMT)

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From staff and wire reports

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Former Malaysian Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial has been adjourned until Friday to allow defense lawyers time to call witnesses who can verify Anwar was overseas when the alleged crime occurred.

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High Court Judge Arifin Jaka granted the one-day leave from proceedings Thursday after Anwar's lawyers said they could not find his passport, which detailed his overseas trips when Anwar allegedly committed the sodomy.

Anwar and his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, are charged with jointly sodomizing Anwar's former driver, Azizan Abu Bakar, between January and March 1993. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and whipping.

Arifin was upset on Wednesday when the defense said it needed time to find the missing passport, delaying a trial already bogged down with numerous disruptions, including a two-month break for the judge to rest an aching back.

The judge had been willing to accept copies of Anwar's passport on Wednesday until the prosecution pointed out the law required only original documents be submitted to the court.

The judge, already irritated by the steady stream of disruptions, bellowed: "Where is the original passport? Where did these copies come from? They did not come from the heaven."

When the defense could not answer, Arifin called a 20-minute recess, the second time that day, so the passport could be located. When the time expired, Arifin was seen from a courtroom window leaving in his limousine. A court official later announced the trial had been adjourned one day.

"We are applying for an adjournment until tomorrow morning because we intend to call some witnesses from the Ministry of Finance who served in 1993 and accompanied Datuk Seri Anwar abroad on certain dates," lead defense counsel Christopher Fernando told Arifin on Thursday.

Fernando said it would be quicker to subpoena Anwar's colleagues who served with him in 1993 and establish his alibi instead of finding the passport.

"This application is made on the further ground that the original passport of Datuk Seri Anwar from 1993 cannot be located," the lawyer added.

Arifin accepted the reasoning, but reminded the defense not to waste time. "Make sure you issue subpoenas to only people who can be traced," he said before adjourning the court. Fernando told reporters later that the defense might subpoena up to 15 witnesses.

On Tuesday, Fernando told the court the defense intended to detail Anwar's movements from February 11, 1993 -- the day after furniture movers brought a bed into the apartment where the ex-minister allegedly forced his former driver to have sex.

"Since it was allegedly done on the bed, it's important that the alibi covers the date after the bed arrived," Fernando said. Anwar and his adopted brother are accused of committing the sodomy in the apartment.

Anwar, serving a 6-year jail sentence since April for a corruption offense related to the present trial, says he was framed with criminal offenses after he opposed the leadership of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Once Mahathir's heir apparent, the prime minister sacked Anwar in September 1998, after accusing him of having low morals. Anwar denies the charge, saying he was toppled for trying to expose corruption in government.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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