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