‘Strange Move To Record Wan Azizah’s Statement’

From Malaysia Kini By Hafiz Yatim

Could the move by the police to record Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s statement yesterday see the PKR president ending up on the witness stand early to testify in her husband’s sodomy trial?

MCPX The one-hour interrogation of Wan Azizah a week shy of Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II trial has raised eyebrows.

As the defence team was not given the prosecution’s witness list, speculation is rife the PKR president’s name may end up on it following the latest development.

PKR vice-president R Sivarasa , who accompanied Wan Azizah to the Tropicana police station said he found it strange that police would called her now, two years after the alleged sodomy.

Sivarasa, who is also part of Anwar’s defence team said Wan Azizah was being questioned as an “alibi witness”.

“I find it strange for the police to record a statement from Wan Azizah just when the trial is scheduled to start.”

“Anyway she had given her statement to the police and it is consistent. I only find it odd they decide to question her only now and not earlier,” the Subang MP said.

Wan Azizah hurriedly left the PKR headquarters, cutting short a meeting discussing the fate of Kulim Baru MP Zulkifli Nordin, to head to the police station to have her statement recorded.

She gave her statement before DSP Lily Chu.

Anwar, 62, is charged with sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at the Desa Damansara Condominium, in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

It was reported on July 15, that Anwar was allegedly not at the crime scene, where the sodomy incident took place. This follows the notice of alibi filed by the defence team.

Notice filed last June

Lawyer SN Nair, when contacted confirmed Anwar’s notice of appeal was filed and served to the Attorney General’s chambers on June 19 last year.

Sivarasa said since the notice was filed six months ago, the police should have recorded her statement earlier to verify the facts.

The Federal Court is scheduled to give its judgment on Friday, over Anwar’s appeal to gain more evidence and documentation before the start of the trial on Tuesday.

Anwar’s trial is certain to generate huge media attention, 10 years after the opposition leader’s first sodomy trial.

Whatever the outcome of Friday’s judgment, Anwar’s team of defence lawyers have pledged to march on and meet Tuesday’s trial “head on”.

Following yesterday’s development, it would be interesting to see whether Dr Wan Azizah would be called in as a prosecution witness.

If so, she would be a “hostile witness” – a witness who is partisan to the defence. Such a strategy if employed by the prosecution could see them trying to test the validity of Anwar’s alibi.

Some of the documents sought by Anwar includes CCTV footages and images of the condominium allegedly on the day of the incident.

Also sought are the witness statement of the victim and the doctor’s notes from Pusrawi and Kuala Lumpur Hospital and also the prosecution’s witness list.

Hence, the statement that Wan Azizah recorded yesterday and the CCTV recordings could prove to be vital.

The trial judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah had granted Anwar the additional evidence and documentation in July, only to see the appellate court overturning the decision last November.

Hence, the decision on Anwar’s appeal on Friday.

Anwar, at a press conference yesterday, commented on his wife’s statement to police and said that the prosecution may have run out of witnesses, thus they are now coming after his wife.

It looks like they are trying to ‘turn over’ my wife. This is harassment,” he quipped.

Anwar’s defence lawyers would face a formidable opponent in Solicitor-General II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, leading the prosecution team.