[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 17 Aug 1999
Time: 05:09:24
Remote User: -
Surgeon gives evidence on Anwar's adopted brother
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (AFP) - A surgeon in the sodomy trial of ousted Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday revealed details of surgery he conducted on the anus of Anwar's adopted brother.
Prosecutors told the court the details were necessary to prove the homosexual relations between Anwar and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan.
"We hope to have medical evidence to support the fact that this story of Sukma being sodomised or being involved in homosexual relations with his adopted brother is not an invention by the police," attorney-general Mohtar Abdullah said.
Anwar's lawyers objected to the testimony but Justice Arifin Jaka allowed the details to be heard in court.
"I am satisfied with the relevancy. It will assist the court to determine the weight and truth of the confession," the judge said.
Sukma was jailed for six months last September for having unlawful sex with the former deputy premier but he later appealed, saying police forced him to confess.
Anwar and Sukma are accused of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar between January and March 1993. Sukma faces a further charge of abetting Anwar to sodomise Azizan, who was Anwar's former driver.
Anwar, fired and arrested in September last year, has been serving a six-year sentence for corruption since April. If convicted of sodomy, he could face an additional sentence of up to 20 years.
Surgeon Abel Arumugam said an examination of Sukma in 1997 revealed the former boutique owner had a tear in the skin of his anus and haemorrhoids which were later operated on.
Abel said the problems could have been natural or the result of "rape".
Judge Arifin postponed the trial to Wednesday after Sukma's counsel said the defence wanted to consult an expert.