Solicitor-General set to lead sodomy prosecution

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — He is unknown, an anonymous name in Malaysian legal circles. But Datuk Idrus Harun has one of the toughest jobs in the country — he is going through the investigation papers prepared by police officers and is slated to lead the prosecution team if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is charged with sodomy.

The Malaysian Insider has learnt that the investigation papers were sent by the police to the Solicitor-General late yesterday.

Investigators say that they have sufficient evidence to make a prima facie case against the former deputy prime minister but the final call rests with Idrus.

This controversial case landed on Idrus’s lap after Anwar accused Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan of fabricating evidence against him when he was assaulted while in detention in 1998.

After this, the government decided that both Gani and Musa should not be involved in the probe into the fresh sodomy allegation against Anwar.

Idrus is seen as a straight shooter in the legal service but there are concerns that he is a greenhorn when it comes to criminal prosecution.

Despite this misgiving, government officials believe that those involved in the probe should not have the baggage of 10 years ago when Anwar was accused of corruption and sodomy and spent six years in jail for both convictions. He was freed after the Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction in 2004.

The fresh sodomy accusation was lodged on June 28 by 23-year-old Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan against the opposition leader. The male aide claimed Anwar committed sexual assault eight times with the last being at a posh Damansara condominium on June 26.

The university dropout lodged a report after going for a medical examination at the Hospital Pusrawi in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. The doctor on duty sent him for a further check-up in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where he duly reported the sexual assault.

The first medical report was leaked on the Internet early this week and has fanned a controversy as it states there was no evidence of sodomy on Saiful. However, the hospital administrators have said it is inconclusive as the doctor is a general medical practitioner.

The Health Ministry is investigating how the report was leaked and made public, adding it will stand by the report made by the Kuala Lujmpur Hospital.

Anwar has seized on the leaked medical report as a vindication of his innocence, calling on the police to drop the investigations as it clearly was meant to implicate him. However, the police are continuing with their probe and have recommended to charge the former deputy prime minister.

Saiful himself stands by his accusations and called on Anwar to swear his innocence by the Quran. Anwar has traded accusations with Saiful by lodging a qazaf or slander report at the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department where he gave a statement yesterday.

Anwar has also sued Saiful for defamation.

-TMB