6
news without borders
Anwar Ibrahim sodomy case
Bid to stop S-G from
handling prosecution
by S. Tamarai Chelvi
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim yesterday applied to the High
Court to disqualify Solicitor-General II
Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden from
conducting the prosecution in his sod-
omy trial.
Anwar’s lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah,
said he was instructed to make the
application to disqualify Yusof on the
grounds that Yusof, as a representative
of the Attorney-General’s Chambers,
was involved in the Royal Commission
inquiry pertaining to the “black eye”
incident in 1998.
Sulaiman said he would submit a
written application with supporting af-
fidavits for the grounds of the proposed
disqualification later.
He said it was more appropriate for
the court to decide on the disqualifica-
tion application before submitting on the
merits of the judicial review application
which was fixed to be heard yesterday.
“Revision should only proceed
after the application to disqualify,”
he said.
Sulaiman suggested two
weeks’ adjournment to allow
both parties to exchange affida-
vits.
In reply, Yusof said he needed
to submit a written submission
on Anwar’s application together
with supporting affidavit.
Justice Datuk Mohamad
Zabidin Mohd Diah said the dis-
qualification application needed to
be dealt with before they proceed
with revision application. He fixed
three days from Feb 25 to hear
submissions on the application.
Mohamad Zabidin said the
disqualification application will be
heard first and irrespective of the
decision of the application, the hear-
ing of the judicial review application
will be heard the following day.
The prosecution had made an ap-
plication to review the decision of a
theSun
sessions court which denied the transfer
of the case to the High Court.
On Nov 7, 2008, sessions court judge
S.M. Komathy Suppiah dismissed the
prosecution’s application to transfer
the case to the High Court after ruling
that the transfer certificate, signed by
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani,
was invalid.
The defence had challenged the va-
lidity of the transfer certificate because
Abdul Gani was still under investigation
by the Anti-Corruption Agency follow-
ing a police report lodged by Anwar on
alleged falsification of evidence pertain-
ing to the “black eye” incident.
Anwar, 62, is charged with sodo-
mising former aide Mohamad Saiful
Bukhari Azlan, 23, at Unit 11-5-1, Desa
Damansara Condominium, Jalan
Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara between
3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26.
If convicted, he faces imprisonment
of up to 20 years under Section 377B
of the penal code. He is now free on a
personal bond.
Up, up and away ...
A hot air balloon floats above the
Seri Wawasan bridge in Putrajaya. The first
Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will
be held from March 19 to 22.
briefs
Study on burden of
cervical cancer
KUALA LUMPUR: A 12-month study
on the economic burden of cervical
cancer in the country is underway.
Undertaken by the Public Health
Medicine Specialist Association of
Malaysia, researchers will develop
an economic model that will profile
the financial burden of treating and
managing HPV (human papilloma
virus)-related cervical cancer.
At a press conference yesterday
association president Prof Datuk
Dr Syed Mohamed Aljunid said the
survey will also gauge the economic
cost of implementing HPV vaccina-
tion among Malaysian women.
He said cervical cancer is the
second most common cancer af-
fecting women in the country with
766 deaths annually. The study is
supported by Glaxosmithkline Phar-
maceutical Sdn Bhd.
Random luggage
check at airports
KUCHING: Random checks on lug-
gage and hand luggage of airline
| FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6 2009
Syabas declines
to answer
contract breach
report
KUALA LUMPUR: Puncak
Niaga and Syarikat Bekalan Air
Selangor (Syabas) executive
chairman Tan Sri Rozali Ismail
will respond to the alleged
breach of water concession by
Syabas at a “different forum”.
He declined to respond
when asked to comment on a
report in theSun last Friday that
Syabas had breached the terms
of the concession.
“I do not want to answer that
question,” Rozali said at a press
conference yesterday after
launching the 14th Conference
on Thinking at Kuala Lumpur
Convention Centre.
Pressed for a reply, he said:
“This is a contract issue, so we
will answer in a proper way at
a different forum.”
On Wednesday, Selangor
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim said he had asked En-
ergy, Water and Communica-
tions Minister Datuk Shaziman
Abu Mansor for approval to
terminate the 30-year-old water
concession agreement.
REUTERSPIX
passengers will start next week,
aimed at stepping up security at
airports.
Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department Senator
T. Murugiah said Kuching Inter-
national Airport would be the
first to implement the system
followed by other airports.
“It may inconvenience passen-
gers but is necessary for security
to prevent theft cases.
“Security officers will check
the tag to see whether informa-
tion on the luggage, like serial
number during check-in, is the
same as that on the ticket,” he
told reporters after a briefing
on security at the airport here
yesterday. – Bernama
Robbery gang
leader shot
KUALA LUMPUR: Police shot
and injured the notorious Lekir
robbery gang leader at a petrol
kiosk at Sijangkang, Banting early
yesterday.
Selangor CID chief SAC II Ha-
snan Hassan said the 24-year-old
man was shot in the waist in the
1am incident.
Hasnan said the man was shot
after he tried to sell a car reported
stolen from a police personnel on
Jan 19. – Bernama