KUALA LUMPUR: A former research assistant to Anwar Ibrahim, who claims he was sexually assaulted by him, has filed an application to strike out the opposition leader’s counterclaim.
Muhammed Yusoff Rawther wants to remove a number of paragraphs in Anwar’s defence as he claimed they were irrelevant to his suit.
He said Anwar’s counterclaim was speculative in nature, vague and lacked clarity and particulars.
“The counterclaim does not identify any cause of action,” he said, adding that it was an abuse of the court process.
Yusoff, who filed the application on Tuesday, said the counterclaim was an afterthought and had no relevance to the relief sought from his suit.
He said the application to expunge certain paragraphs in Anwar’s defence was made as they were irrelevant and failed to answer the claims arising from his suit filed on July 14.
“It is an attempt to confuse and prevent the court from hearing the real issues in the suit,” he added.
Anwar, in his defence filed on Sept 28, said Yusoff had disciplinary issues, had committed a criminal offence and had once expressed his view to him that he was pro-Israel.
A case management will be held on Dec 24 to hear both applications.
Anwar had denied in his defence that he sexually assaulted Yusoff at his private residence in Segambut three years ago.
He also dismissed Yusoff’s contention that he came to meet him at his residence at about 3pm on Oct 2, 2018, when the incident was alleged to have taken place.
“DSAI (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) did not meet Yusoff at his residence (on Oct 2, 2018) as alleged,” said the statement of defence.
Instead, Anwar said, he was entertaining his family and friends between 2pm and 6pm that day.
He said Yusoff’s statement was “utterly false and fabricated”.
In his counterclaim, Anwar also said Yusoff manufactured evidence in connivance with persons currently unknown to tarnish his political image.
This, he said, was done to first prevent him from becoming the prime minister (during the Pakatan Harapan administration), taking over the reign from Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said Yusoff’s suit was an abuse of the court process and was not filed with the intention of seeking a legal redress.
He said Yusoff only affirmed a statutory declaration on Nov 19, 2019, which was more than a year after the alleged sexual assault.
In his statement of claim, Yusoff alleged that Anwar sexually assaulted and molested him at his (Anwar’s) home in Segambut.
According to Yusoff, he was asked by the defendant’s private secretary, Shukri Saad, to hand over the text of a speech for Anwar to deliver to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birthday. He claimed that was when Anwar sexually assaulted him.
There was no communication between him and Anwar for about a month after the alleged incident, he said, although he was still working for Anwar before his resignation on June 24, 2019.
Yusoff lodged a police report against Anwar on Dec 7, 2019.
He also claimed he was accused of conspiring to bring down and damage Anwar’s political career, and this had affected his mental health. - FMT
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