WHEN THE RESERVE PLAYERS COME IN

So stay tuned for Friday afternoon to find out whether Anwar will still be able to contest the Kajang by-election or whether Anwar will be spending a couple of days in prison while someone else contests that by-election instead.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The government’s appeal against Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal on the sodomy charge is being heard today and tomorrow (6th and 7th March 2014). We can safely assume that tomorrow, by the end of the day, the hearing will end and the court will rest over the weekend (Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th March).

On Monday afternoon (10th March) the court will reconvene to deliver its verdict, as Bayan Baru Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin said in the news report below.

If the court agrees with the trial judge and upholds Anwar’s acquittal, then everything is well and fine. Anwar goes home. If, however, the court feels that the trial judge had erred and it reverses the acquittal, then Anwar is in trouble.

No doubt Anwar will want to appeal this verdict if the court rules against him. The question, however, would be whether Anwar will be granted bail while he appeals the verdict, which could take a year or two.

Assuming the prosecution objects to bail and a hearing is held as to whether Anwar should or should not be granted bail, Anwar, in the meantime, will have to spend a day or two in the Sungai Buloh Prison while awaiting his bail application hearing.

And this would mean on the following day, 11th March 2014, Anwar cannot turn up at the nomination centre to file his papers. And that would also mean someone else would have to contest the Kajang by-election instead.

There are three names being proposed as the reserve players. One, of course, is Rafizi Ramli, the mastermind of Kajang-gate. The other two are PKR Secretary-General Saifuddin Nasution and Nurul Izzah Anwar.

And this would mean Khalid Ibrahim’s job as Selangor Menteri Besar would be safe for at least a while longer.

So stay tuned for Friday afternoon to find out whether Anwar will still be able to contest the Kajang by-election or whether Anwar will be spending a couple of days in prison while someone else contests that by-election instead.

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(The Malaysian Times) – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s desire to sit on the Selangor Mentri Besar’s chair through the Kajang by-election might not come true if he is convicted for his sodomy case.

Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said that “Once the Court of Appeal completes its hearing on Friday, the judgment may be delivered next Monday afternoon, right after Parliament session in the morning.”

“Should Anwar be convicted, there would be no time for his lawyers to apply for stay of execution at the Federal Court as it would be after office hours, and he would be kept in jail,” Sim told reporters during a press conference today.

Sim noted that, Anwar would not be able to nominate himself as the Pakatan Rakyat candidate for the March 23 Kajang by-election after the judgement on March 10.

The nomination is scheduled for March 11.

Sim claimed that Barisan Nasional has played ‘dirty’ by influencing the Judicial to hold the last-minute proceedings which might leave black scars on Anwar’s political career.

“This is a political move by BN to disrupt our Kajang Move…the people have to be aware of this,” he claimed.

The two-day prosecution’s appeal on Anwar’s Sodomy II acquittal began today in the Court of Appeal.

This is due to the Federal Court yesterday set aside Anwar’s final effort to remove lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who represents the prosecution team.

The three judges of Court of Appeal who will hear the prosecution’s appeal is Datuk Balliah Yusof Wahi, Datuk Aziah Ali dan Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh.

Sim noted that it would only take six to 12 months for the Court of Appeal to hear an appeal application.

However, he said Anwar’s case had been dragged since 2012.

“Why is the court appearing to be so efficient within these two weeks, right after we launched the Kajang Move?”

“Is there anybody behind all these scenes?” Sim asked.

On whether the party is prepare to put another candidate for the Kajang fight, Sim said that the party is prepared to face any circumstances.

However, he said there was no discussion yet on whether to put a replacement for the by-election.

Anwar was acquitted by the High Court on Jan 9,2012 for allegedly sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his former aide, at Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

Trial judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah had ruled that the court could not be 100 per cent certain that the integrity of the DNA samples had not been compromised, after going through the evidence.