Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial was adjourned to next Monday to hear the defence lawyers' application to urge the prosecution team to step down following the alleged relationship between star witness and a deputy public prosecutor.
The application was made this morning by Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh before judge Zabidin Mohd Diah.
The judge, due to hear the continued hearing of the trial today, allowed the apllication to be heard but granted the adjournment after the prosecution team sought more time to file their affidavits to respond to the application.
The judge also allowed for another application filed by the defence for the sodomy charge to be dropped. However he ruled that this application can only be heard after the first application has been disposed.
This morning, Karpal told the court that the alleged sexual relationship between Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and DPP Farah Azlina Latif had compromised the integritty of the prosecution team.
He also said that Solicitor-General II Mohamed Yusof should be held responsible for allowing the prosecution's credibility to be affected by this relationship.
Last week , Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail announced that Farah had been dropped from the prosecution team and the prosecution division of the A-G's Chambers.
He also downplayed her role in the prosecution team, saying that it was confined to taking down notes of the proceedings and that she had no access to the investigation papers. He however did not confirm or deny the relationship between the DPP and Saiful.
Initially, the trial was set to resume on July 19 but was postponed after Karpal went on a two-week medical leave where he was hospitalised at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
Justice Mohamad Zabidin allowed the postponement after the defence team assured that the trial would resume on Aug 2 even without Karpal's presence. The trial was scheduled fron Aug 2 to Aug 30.
courtesy FMT
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