Judge in Anwar sex trial refuses to cite ruling party for contemptKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (AFP) - The judge hearing the sodomy trial of sacked deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim refused Monday to cite the youth wing of Malaysia's ruling party for contempt of court.Defence counsel Karpal Singh had applied to cite the youth wing of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) for contempt over a police report it had lodged against him. "I am really concerned that the judiciary should not be attacked by anybody. I shall not hesitate to constitute contempt action against anyone," Arifin said. But he said Karpal's application was based on a newspaper report last week that UMNO youth had lodged a police report against the counsel. "I do not know what is the content of the report and I do not know if it's contemptious," he said, urging Karpal to file a proper application. Karpal earlier argued with the judge for nearly an hour, saying the police report was to "affront the judiciary and an insult" to Arifin, who last week told everyone not to comment on the trial. "By lodging a report is in fact threatening me and intimidating me in my role as defence counsel," he said. "If nothing is done, it may lead to further erosion of the judiciary." Arifin said he had not seen the report and noted the lawyer had made "endless applications" in the course of the trial. "I will not entertain oral applications arising out of what was said outside this court," the judge said. "There will be no end to this trial if I start calling up people for what they said." Later, another counsel Christopher Fernando urged Arifin to review his decision last week to reject the defence's application to recall key prosecution witness Azizan Abu Bakar to question his credibility. Azizan was jailed for three months and fined 7,000 ringgit (1,842 dollars) last month by an Islamic court in southern Malacca state for attempted illicit sex with a woman whom he later married. "In order to resolve this crucial issue of Azizan's credibility and to assist this court to make a meaningful decision, I urge your lordship to reconsider our application to recall Azizan," Fernando said. Anwar, sacked and arrested in September 1998, was jailed for six years in April for abusing his official position. He and his Indonesian adopted brother Sukma Darmawan are jointly accused of sodomising Azizan, Anwar's former driver, in early 1993. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years. |
