Anwar's lawyers yet to interview Najib and Bik Mama...

With just days to go before Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim begins his defence in his second sodomy trial, the police have yet to arrange for the defence team to interview Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

Najib and Rosmah are among 71 witnesses offered by the prosecution to the defence after the High Court ordered Anwar to enter his defence for allegedly sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

According to Anwar's counsel Sankara Nair, the defence team has shortlisted 25 of the 71 witnesses for interviews before deciding on whether to call them to testify in court.

"We gave the list to the prosecution on May 16 (when judge ruled a prima facie case against Anwar). However, in the last three weeks, they only managed to find five witnesses for us.

"They still cannot confirm when they can bring the prime minister and his wife," Sankara said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.

The five witnesses the defence has interviewed so far are former athlete Mumtaz Jaafar, to whom Saiful related the alleged sodomy; special officer to the deputy prime minister Khairil Annas Jusoh, who had met with Saiful; Dr Mohd Osman Abdul Hamid, the first doctor who examined Saiful; a medical officer at Hospital Kuala Lumpur identified only as 'Dr Daniel'; and Saiful's sister Saidati.

Anwar has been charged with sodomising Saiful at a Desa Damansara condominium unit between 3.01pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008. This is the second sodomy trial involving the PKR de facto leader, who was acquitted on an earlier charge after an appeal.

Police have until tomorrow

Other witnesses the defence wants to interview before deciding whether to call them to testify include former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan and former Malacca police chief Rodwan Mohd Yusof. Sankara said the police have until tomorrow to provide all the remaining 20 witnesses as the trial resumes next Monday.

"We have to interview them to prepare our defence, as well as to decide who to call to appear in court,” said Sankara.

"It is the duty of prosecution to provide the witnesses. They made the offer, so how can they refuse now?"

source:malaysiakini

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