Court to hear Putrajaya’s appeal against Anwar’s acquittal of sodomy charge next week

Putrajaya's appeal to overturn the acquittal of parliamentary opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) on a charge of sodomy will be heard before the Court of Appeal on March 6 and 7.

His lawyer Karpal Singh said judge Datuk Aziah Ali fixed the dates after case management today.

"We requested a later date for the hearing but it was not granted," Karpal told reporters.

Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is appointed ad hoc deputy public prosecutor, and DPP Noorin Badaruddin represented the Attorney General's Chambers.

The High Court acquitted Anwar in 2012 of a charge of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in Bukit Damansara in 2008.

The appellate court will be asked to re-evaluate testimonies of two local chemists against the evidence of two Australian experts when the case is heard before a three-man bench.

The prosecution in its filed petition of appeal said the findings of local chemists Dr Seah Lee Hong and Nor Aidora Saedon were more credible, compared with that of forensics expert Dr David Wells and molecular geneticist Dr Brian Leslie McDonald.

Political analysts said Anwar was walking a tightrope by contesting the Kajang state seat with the sodomy case still hanging over his head.

Nominations for the by-election have been fixed for March 11 while polling will be on March 23.

The sodomy offence which Anwar was accused of carries a jail term of up to 20 years and whipping.

Under the law, an MP or assemblyman who is jailed for a year or more and slapped with a fine of RM2,000 or more will be disqualified.