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theSUN ON THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 24, 2022
Anwar loses bid to reinstate suit
PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim lost his appeal in the Court of
Appeal yesterday to reinstate his
lawsuit against the government to
invalidate his conviction for
sodomising his former aide Mohd
Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
A three-member bench
comprising Justices Datuk Lee Swee
Seng, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and
Datuk Supang Lian unanimously
dismissed the PKR president’s
appeal, ruling that the High Court
was right to strike out Anwar’s
originating summons, Bernama
reported.
Abu Bakar, who delivered the
court’s decision, said Anwar’s claim
that the lead prosecutor in his
sodomy case in the Court of Appeal
and the Federal Court, Tan Sri
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, had
received RM9.5 million from former
Police seek trio
over Ipoh
hospital scuffle
IPOH: Police are looking for three
more suspects, including a
woman, who are believed to have
been involved in a scuffle at the
Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital
emergency department on
Saturday.
Perak police chief Datuk Mior
Faridalathrash Wahid said they
have arrested four suspects so far
in connection with the scuffle and
a related fight that happened
earlier at Jalan Sekolah in
Guntong.
“Once we have rounded up the
suspects, they will be charged in
court,” he said after the monthly
assembly at the Perak police
contingent headquarters
yesterday.
On another matter, Mior
Faridalathrash said police will be
examining the material used in a
gadget for scaring off monkeys, to
determine if it was illegal.
“I have yet to see the device, so
I cannot comment further.
“If the device does not use
explosives, no action will be
taken against the individuals
concerned.
“If explosives are used, then we
can take action under the
Firearms Act 1960.
“It is possible the gadget was
invented to prevent monkeys from
damaging crops.”
A recent video on TikTok
showed two men in Pokok Asam,
Padang Rengas promoting a
device that emitted a sound like a
shotgun being fired, which they
said could be used to scare away
monkeys. – Bernama
Submissions for Rosmah’s solar project trial on April 5
KUALA LUMPUR: The defence in the
trial of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor,
who is facing charges involving a
hybrid solar project for rural schools
in Sarawak, closed its case yesterday
after calling two witnesses.
High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini
Mazlan set April 5 to hear oral
submissions from both parties after
counsel Datuk Jagjit Singh,
representing Rosmah, told the court
that the defence has closed its case.
“I will reserve the whole day to
hear the submissions. With that, I
conclude our 42 days of trial, with 25
witnesses (23 from the prosecution,
two from the defence, including
Rosmah).
“Thanks to the parties for
oCourt of Appeal unanimously dismisses PKR
president’s attempt to invalidate his conviction
in sodomy case
prime minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak, was a mere assertion
that was unsupported by evidence.
“Therefore, the assertion that
Muhammad Shafee was not
independent as a lead prosecutor is
devoid of any merit,” said Abu Bakar.
“In any event, even if it is proven
that the money was paid to
Muhammad Shafee by Najib, we do
not think this has affected the appeal
at the Court of Appeal and the
Federal Court.”
He said the decisions of both the
Court of Appeal and the Federal
Director remanded for bribe probe
KUALA LUMPUR: A company
director has been remanded for
seven days from yesterday to facilitate
investigations into a RM2 million
bribery case involving Keretapi
Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) officials
in 2016 and 2017. The remand order
was granted by the magistrate’s court
after an application was made by the
providing assistance during the trial.”
He also fixed March 9 for the
prosecution to file written
submissions and March 30 for the
defence to reply to the prosecution’s
submissions.
On Feb 18 last year, Mohamed
Zaini ordered Rosmah to enter her
defence on all three corruption
charges involving a solar hybrid
project for 369 rural schools in
Sarawak, after finding the prosecution
had proved a prima facie case.
Rosmah, 70, faces one charge of
soliciting RM187.5 million and two
charges of accepting bribes
amounting to RM6.5 million from
former managing director of Jepak
Holdings Sdn Bhd, Saidi
Court in Anwar’s sodomy case were
given by judges of those courts
independently and without influence
or knowledge of any payment
between the two individuals.
“Therefore, it does not matter if
there was such payment made by
Najib to Muhammad Shafee. It is a
matter for the MACC (Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission) to
investigate and the attorney-general
to prosecute if there is corrupt
payment and receipt of the same
sum.”
He said Anwar was also not
Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) yesterday.
According to an MACC source, the
63-year-old man was detained at the
MACC Kuala Lumpur office on
Tuesday when he went there to
provide a statement.
The man is believed to have
bribed officials of KTMB as
Abang Samsudin.
The bribe was allegedly received
through her former special officer
Datuk Rizal Mansor, as inducement to
help Jepak Holdings to obtain the
Integrated Solar Photovoltaic Hybrid
System Project as well as a contract for
operation and maintenance of
generator sets and diesel supply for
369 schools, worth RM1.25 billion,
through direct negotiations with the
Education Ministry.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Zaini
dismissed Rosmah’s defence team to
recall star witness, Saidi, to testify over
the withdrawal of RM1.5 million,
allegedly given to Rosmah.
The judge said the defence had not
raised any valid grounds to recall
NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS
denied the opportunity to defend
himself up to the apex court.
The court proceedings were
conducted via Zoom.
Anwar was appealing against the
Nov 8, 2017 decision of the High
Court to allow the government’s
application to strike out his lawsuit.
In the originating summons filed
on June 9, 2017, naming the
government as the defendant, the
Port Dickson member of Parliament
claimed he did not get a fair trial in
the appeal against his sodomy
conviction.
He also wanted an order that the
decision by the Federal Court in
upholding the Court of Appeal’s
decision was ultra vires and
therefore, null and void.
In his affidavit, Anwar alleged that
Muhammad Shafee received RM9.5
million from Najib to lead the
PORTER SERVICE ...
A boy helping a woman
cart her purchases to her
car in a wheelbarrow for
a token fee at a market in
Sandakan yesterday.
– BERNAMAPIX
inducement to help his company
secure railroad construction and port
development contracts in the
Songkhla region in Thailand.
Kedah MACC director Datuk
Shaharom Nizam Abd Manap said
the case is being investigated under
Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
– Bernama
Saidi, who is also the 17th prosecution
witness, and it would not serve justice
to allow the application.
“I’ve gone through every page of
notes pertaining to the witness during
cross-examination on the subject
matter, which the defence wishes to
revisit.
“I also noted that the subject
matter had been extensively
addressed when the defence made an
application to impeach the witness.
To recall the witness based on the
reasons given by the defence will be
tantamount to subjecting him to
another round of cross-examination
on the subject that I fully addressed.
Therefore, the defence’s application is
dismissed.” – Bernama
prosecution team in the appeal over
his sodomy case.
Anwar was acquitted and
discharged by the High Court in
2012 on the sodomy charge but the
Court of Appeal overturned the
decision after allowing the
prosecution’s appeal.
The Appellate Court convicted
and sentenced Anwar to five years’
jail for sodomising Mohd Saiful, and
this decision was upheld by the
Federal Court. However, Anwar was
given a full pardon by the King on
May 16, 2018.
Lawyers J. Leela and How Li Nee
represented Anwar while senior
federal counsel Suzana Atan
appeared for the prosecution.
Lawyer Sarah Abishegam acted for
Muhammad Shafee, who was
allowed to intervene in the appeal
in 2018.
Penang DCM
probed over
post on
custody issue
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have
received six reports related to
statements allegedly containing
insults to Islam uploaded by
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II
Prof Dr Ramasamy on his
Facebook page last week.
Bukit Aman Criminal
Investigation Department
director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil
Hassan said the post titled
“Unilateral religious conversion in
Perlis? The feeling of a recurring
situation”, which was posted on
Feb 13, is deemed provocative.
“The post is also said to have
upset various quarters because it
linked the Perlis religious
authorities with the terms
‘unilateral Islamisation’,
‘kidnapping’, ‘manipulation’,
‘coercion’ and threats in the
comments section on the
conversion of (a woman’s)
children and custody issue,” he
said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the case was
being investigated under Section
505(c) of the Penal Code for
issuing a statement with the
intention of inciting a group or
race, as well as under Section 504
of the Penal Code for making
defamatory statements that could
cause a breach of peace, and
Section 233 of the
Communications and Multimedia
Act for improper use of network
facilities or network services.
Abd Jalil advised the public
not to speculate on the case as it
could jeopardise investigations,
and to be alert on issues that affect
religious and racial sensitivities.
“People should be smart and
prudent when using social media,
and not use the platform to
intimidate the public and threaten
the harmony of the country.”
He said there would be no
compromise, and stern action
would be taken against
individuals who deliberately
threatened public order.
The media had reported that
the woman had lodged a police
report that her three children – 14-
year-old twin girls and a
10-year-old boy – had been
allegedly detained by a woman
preacher from a religious
non-governmental organisation
in Tasek Gelugor, Penang.
– Bernama