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(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a key ruling in his sodomy trial yesterday, forcing the prosecution to hand over evidence including video footage and medical reports.
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| Mr Anwar: Says there is still no certainty that he would get a fair trial |
The High Court ordered government lawyers to produce witness statements and reports from doctors who examined Mr Anwar's accuser, 24-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who was an aide in his office.
Mr Anwar welcomed the decision but said there was still no certainty he would get a fair trial.
'I would say that we are glad with this particular judgement but we have to go through the processes. Because of past experience, we cannot be too presumptive,' he said.
He also said he was concerned that the court had denied the defence team access to DNA specimens, and criticised the prosecution's plans to file an appeal on the decision to release evidence, saying it was a delaying tactic.
The 61-year-old opposition leader faces a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment if he is convicted of the charges, which he says are a conspiracy to frustrate his political ambitions. An earlier sex conviction was overturned in 2004, allowing him to go free after six years in jail.
His opposition alliance stormed onto the political scene in landmark elections last year, winning control of five states and a third of seats in parliament in an unprecedented result against the Barisan Nasional coalition.
Human Rights Watch this week called on Malaysia to drop the 'politically motivated' charges. 'This trial is a bald-faced attempt to permanently remove an opposition leader from Malaysian politics,' said the US-based group's deputy Asia director Elaine Pearson.
Mr Anwar's defence team also plans to pursue two other applications - to throw out the case altogether, and to have the prosecutors removed - before the trial itself can get under way. -- AFP
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