Anwar sex case 'flawed'

Mr Anwar's corruption conviction last year sparked protests

By Frances Harrison in Kuala Lumpur

Lawyers in the sex trial of Malaysia's jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim have warned his conviction would mark the beginning of the destruction of the criminal justice system.

Mr Anwar, who used to be deputy prime minister, is accused of sodomising his family's former driver, a crime in Malaysia which carries up to 20 years in jail.

Students, lawyers and the public at large will invariably question how a conviction can be obtained on the evidence adduced

Anwar's counsel Christopher Fernando

But defence lawyers, presenting their closing arguments, said the prosecution's chief witness was an "unmitigated liar".

They told the judge it would be a black day in the country's legal history if a man could be found guilty on the type of evidence produced against Mr Anwar.

Mr Anwar waves to supporters

The lawyers said there were serious contradictions in the testimony of the driver, Azizan Abu Baker, who has alleged he was sodomised by Mr Anwar.

The defence reminded the judge that he himself had remarked that Mr Azizan was unreliable, complaining that he "says one thing today and another thing tomorrow".

Mr Azizan, who was himself convicted of a sex crime last year, has at different times testified that he was sodomised and that he was not.

Dangerous precedent

Lawyers for the defence told the court there was nothing corroborating Mr Azizan's evidence, because it was fabricated in order to discredit Anwar Ibrahim.

I would submit that Azizan is an unmitigated liar - he would lie at the drop of a hat

Christopher Fernando

Mr Anwar's lawyers have also complained that their client was in effect robbed of the opportunity to produce an alibi because the date of the alleged offence and the charge is so broad, spanning a three-month period.

A conviction in these circumstances, say the lawyers, would set an extremely dangerous precedent.

The prosecution is expected to summarise its side of the case later this week.

Lawyers say it may take the judge at least a month to reach a verdict, because of the protracted nature of the trial, which has already lasted more than a year.