Case management in Anwar sodomy appeal rescheduled
(Bernama) – The case management in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction appeal has been rescheduled to next Thursday (Aug 14), following a protest by his lawyers over the Federal Court’s insistence in fixing the hearing dates next month.
One of Anwar’s lawyers, R. Sivarasa told the media that the case management, which was usually conducted in chambers before a court deputy registrar, would be held in open court on that day and conducted by Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif.
“When the case management resumed before deputy registrar Mohd Izzudin Mohamad, we were told that the court’s earlier decision to fix Sept 8 and 9 for the hearing of Anwar’s appeal was vacated,” said Sivarasa.
At 10.15 this morning, Anwar’s counsel, Sangeet Kaur Deo, N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya and deputy public prosecutor Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria entered the chambers for case management of the appeal before Mohd Izzudin.
After the case management, Surendran told the media that the Federal Court had insisted on fixing Sept 8 and 9 for the hearing of Anwar’s appeal but Anwar’s lawyers objected to the dates because lead counsel Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah would not be available on those dates.
He (Surendran) said Sulaiman – who has a heart condition and underwent knee surgery – was on medical leave until Oct 13, this year, adding that he (Sulaiman) was appointed as lead counsel after the sudden death of Karpal Singh in a road accident.
Surendran said the Sept 8 and 9 dates were announced by the deputy registrar today, claiming that it seemed to be an attempt to rush the appeal.
Anwar’s lawyers then asked to meet with a presiding judge at noon to resolve the matter and about 12.30pm, parties in the appeal were called to re-enter the chambers.
This time, Sivarasa, who was not present in the earlier case management because he was involved in another court case at the Court of Appeal, also entered the chambers, together with the rest of Anwar’s lawyers.
A few minutes later, Sivarasa told the media that the case management was resumed before Mohd Izzudin and they were told that the case management wasre-scheduled to next Thursday.
On March 7, this year, the Court of Appeal here allowed the prosecution’s appeal to convict Anwar on the sodomy charge.
It (the Court of Appeal) overturned the Jan 9, 2012 High Court decision in acquitting Anwar on a charge of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan 26, at a unit of the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.
The three-member Court of Appeal panel chaired by Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi sentenced Anwar to five years’ jail but granted him a stay on the jail sentence, pending appeal to the Federal Court.
The opposition leader was also allowed bail of RM10,000 in one surety.
Anwar filed an appeal to the Federal Court while the prosecution was cross-appealing to enhance the jail sentence on Anwar.
Anwar also has another appeal pending in the Federal Court in respect of his third bid to have lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah disqualified from appearing as lead deputy public prosecutor.
