Sodomy II: Court to view CCTV footage

The High Court prepares to view a CCTV clipping of those who entered and left the condominium where the alleged incident occured.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court, hearing the sodomy trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, has given the green light to view a closed-circuit television footage of those going in and out of the condominium in which the alleged incident took place.

The court decided this despite objections from defence lawyers that they were not privy to the copy of the recording.

Anwar is charged with sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who was also the opposition leader’s aide then, at a luxury condominium in Bukit Damansara here on June 26, 2008.

Anwar is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction.

The hearing resumed today with ASP Fauziah Che Mat, 47, a audio video specialist from the Cheras police station, taking the stand.

Previously the policewoman was in the Photo and Technical division at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters.

During examination-in-chief by DPP Mohd Hanafiah Zakaria, Fauziah said she had handled over 900 cases and received two envelopes containing two hard disks from investigating officer DSP Jude Blacious Pereira at 10am on July 3, 2008.

On hearing this, the defence team objected, and asked for the disks be tendered as exhibits of the case because they were not given a copy.

After a short break, Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah also heard that Fauziah made a copy of the hard disk with a cloning machine, and subsequently allowed the disk to be used as an exhibit.

Fauziah said her task was to identify by means of the CCTV recording several cars – a Range Rover (with licence plate) WMK 6 and a Fiat (WPK 5925) – and the persons who drove into and out of the Desa Damansara condominium.

The court has been adjourned to 2.30pm to allow the setting-up of equipment to show the CCTV recording.

MORE TO FOLLOW