[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 20 Aug 1999
Time: 22:58:21
Remote User: -
Judge throws out contempt of court charge against Anwar ally
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (AFP) - A Malaysian judge on Saturday dismissed allegations of contempt of court involving a close ally of jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.
High Court Judge Arifin Jaka said he was setting aside an application against Chandra Muzaffar, the wheelchair-bound vice-president of a new political party headed by Anwar's wife.
"I find there is no proof the alleged statement dowloaded from the Internet can be attributed to Chandra Muzaffar," the judge said. "I am convinced you cannot simply base it on inadmissable evidence."
Prosecutors in Anwar's sodomy trial, adjourned for two weeks on Friday, had earlier argued that posting statements on the Internet was the same as publishing the material in a newspaper.
The prosecution alleged Chandra committed contempt of court when he criticised local media coverage of a sex confession by Anwar's adopted brother Sukma Darmawan, who is jointly on trial with the former deputy premier.
"It is a shame that elements in the police force, in the attorney general's chambers, in the courts and the media are prepared to be subservient tools in this massive conspiracy hatched by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his cohorts," he allegedly said.
Despite Saturday's ruling, prosecutor Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah told the court that police had been asked to investigate the allegations.
Describing the allegations as an "unadulterated abuse of power," defence lawyer Karpal Singh had argued the "show case" notice filed against Chandra was not based on admissible evidence.
"The attorney-general did not tender the document under oath. To get the court to issue a notice, there must be strict compliance because what is at stake is the freedom of expression and the freedom of the individual," he said.
Anwar, fired and arrested in September last year, was sentenced in April to six years in prison for abuse of power. If convicted of sodomy in the second trial which started in June, he faces an additional sentence of up to 20 years.