Police must have known, says Anwar’s counsel

Sankara Nair believes police had prior knowledge of sex video clip and the home minister's statement suggests there was complicity in the matter

KUALA LUMPUR: Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer is highly sceptical of claims that police had no prior knowledge of the sex video clip that was shown to the media in Carcosa Seri Negara yesterday.

Sankara Nair said that it was “strange, incomprehensible and unbelievable” that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak both insisted that the police were in dark over the clandestine viewing.

The video clip depicted a man, bearing a striking resemblence to Anwar, engaging in a sexual act with a foreign woman. The viewing was organised by a man known only as Datuk T.

That same evening Anwar held a press conference denying his involvement and accusing the government of engaging in a conspiracy to smear his name.

This morning he lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi station accompanied by his wife and PKR president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as well as several PKR leaders.

“The police, being the front line of national security and crime prevention, would have definitely been alerted to this matter,” said Sankara.

“By virtue of such, they were under public duty to prevent a crime, at least, under the Cinematography Act, from being committed.

“They should have arrested the organisers and seized the so called video and the equipment and conducted investigations. I believe this would have been precisely the police action – if the so called clip related to a minister or any senior government official,” added Sankara.

A repeat of 1998

Hishammuddin yesterday said that the police would only investigate the matter if a police report was lodged. Sankara, who is a former police investigator, shot down this statement.

“It is ridiculous to suggest that unless there is a police report by anyone, will the police act,” he stated.

He said it was common knowledge and has been the police practice for years that on their own right, have the power to lodge a report and take immediate action to prevent a breach of the peace and a crime.

He added that Hishammuddin’s statement lent further credibility to Anwar’s suggestion that there was police complicity in the matter.

“I remember in 1998 that this is exactly what former AG, Mohtar Abdullah, advised Anwar,” he recalled.

“After the report was lodged they used it as a basis to arrest and charge Anwar for abuse of power and sodomy. I fear this might just turn out to be a repeat of 1998.”

Pakatan MPs will be holding a press conference in Parliament this afternoon during which DAP advisor, Lim Kit Siang, and PAS president, Abdul Hadi Awang, are expected to throw their support behind Anwar. - FMT