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Press Statement by Karpal Singh in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 30th July 2008: 

Stop witch-hunt, end sodomy probe

The statement by Home Minister, Datuk seri Syed Hamid Albar,

‘He (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has bot been charged yet. What are we supposed to drop?’

Syed Hamid Albar cannot be tat naïve not to comprehend what Anwar Ibrahim is saying,

‘Stop the investigation, forward the report to the attorney-General’s Chambers and reclassify the case as NFA (No Further Action).’

Clearly, what has to be addressed is whether the police should pursue the investigations on the sodomy allegation against Anwar Ibrahim.

It is pointless to pursue the police investigations if the fundamental requirement of allegation stands unproven. In view of the medical report from Hospital Pusrawi which shows that Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had not been sodomised (and this is a fundamental ingredient to be proved in the case), it matters not what the medical report from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital which examined Anwar Ibrahim reveals on the sodomy allegation. The fact that the findings of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital have not been released makes no difference to what the report from Hospital Pusrawi shows. It has been revealed now that on June 28, Mohd Saiful, after lodging the police report alleging that he has been sodomised by Anwar Ibrahim, was first examined by Hospital Pusrawi and then the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. The report from Pusrawi Hospital, clearly, shows that Mohd Saiful had not been sodomised.

No doubt, evidence is a chain. However, if one single fundamental in that chain is brittle, the strength of the entire chain comes to naught.

Syed Hamid Albar should not harp on Anwar Ibrahim’s refusal to give his blood sample for DNA test. Anwar Ibrahim is not obliged to do so. The law, as it stands, does not compel Anwar Ibrahim to provide his blood sample for DNA tests.

In any event, in 1998 DNA rests were carried out on Anwar Ibrahim. Those tests can still be used to implicate Anwar Ibrahim, if at all, he committed sodomy as alleged now. There is no question of the investigation being dropped. To put it correctly, the police investigation should be discontinued. To avert further waste of public funds, in view of the report from Pusrawi Hospital which completely discounts Mohd Saiful having been sodomised as alleged by him on June 26, the investigations should be discontinued forthwith. The Government should be pragmatic and accept facts, and not go on a witchhunt for the sole purpose of destroying its political opponent, Anwar Ibrahim.

The world is watching developments in the police investigation. The negative impact of what is now going on, will be counter productive to Malaysia’s image in the eyes of the international world.

There is no question of the Attorney-General discontinuing police investigations. Under Article 145 (3) of the Federal Constitution, the Attorney-General can only discontinue a prosecution and the position has not come to that yet. However, the police can discontinue an investigation which is doomed to failure. It should do so forthwith.


* Karpal Singh, DAP National Chairman & MP for Bukit Gelugor