KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — PKR’s Datuk Johari Abdul has claimed that
Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s father was the one who sought him out to help
reveal that his son’s sodomy complaint against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
was allegedly a “political conspiracy”.
The Sungai Petani MP organised a press conference for Azlan Mohd
Lazim yesterday who claimed his son’s claims as a plot by a special
officer in the Prime Minister’s Department but Saiful later refuted the
claims.
“Greetings, Saiful’s father (was the one who) approached me.
“He’s the one who ask us to reveal all this, it can’t be that his father is so stupid until he can be influenced,” Johar told The Malaysian Insider when contacted after Saiful denied the conspiracy.
The federal lawmaker said Saiful’s denial was an insult to his father.
Hours after his father’s press conference, Saiful and his lawyer Zamri Idrus spoke to the press on Azlan’s allegations.
Saiful appeared to suggest that Anwar was behind his father’s remarks
on the second sodomy charge, warning the opposition leader not to use
Azlan to twist the situation to achieve his goals.
Saiful did not offer any proof to back up his accusation, but only
pointed to Johari’s presence at the press conference where his father
had spoken earlier and apologised to Anwar and his family for the
suffering they had experienced.
But Azlan had earlier said that his statements in the press conference were done on a “voluntary basis”.
Saiful denied that his sodomy complaint against Anwar — the PKR de
facto leader who he had previously worked with — was a political
conspiracy and expressed surprise at his father’s claim.
Saiful replied “No” when asked if a special officer in the Prime
Minister’s Department was involved in planning the alleged conspiracy,
as claimed by his father Azlan.
Saiful denied that he had a misunderstanding with his father and denied that his father had financial problems.
Azlan had said his sudden defence of Anwar, five years after the
latter was charged in court, came after years of compiling information
on the case, both during the sodomy trial and from details provided to
him by informers.
The 60-year-old man said the truth was finally clear to him.
Azlan also called on all Malaysians not to believe what he described
as “slander” against Anwar, urging more to rally behind the opposition
leader.
On January 9 last year, the High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar
of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 27, at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in
Bukit Damansara here between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
Anwar, 65, was charged under section 377B of the Penal Code, which
carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and whipping upon conviction.
The former deputy prime minister was charged with sodomy and
corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later
convicted and jailed for both offences.
He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political
career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a
by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.
He had earlier led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (PR), to a
historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election
2008.
Anwar’s acquittal last year was highly-publicised, drawing the
attention of thousands of people who camped outside the High Court as
judgment was delivered, as well as hundreds of international media and
political observers.
The veteran politician, who had earlier sued Mohd Saiful for
wrongfully accusing him of sodomy, later withdrew the suit, saying his
reputation had been vindicated by the acquittal.
The Court of Appeal has fixed this July 22 and July 23 for the hearing of the prosecution’s appeal against Anwar’s acquittal.