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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia drops sodomy charge against Anwar brother |
| 2006-11-07 |
| Malaysia dropped a sodomy charge against the adopted brother of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim on Monday, his lawyer said, ending an eight-year legal saga that both men claimed was politically inspired. Sukma Darmawan, 46, was to have stood trial for a second time on Monday, charged with "allowing" Anwar to sodomize him, but the state prosecutor instead surprised the court by saying the charge was being withdrawn, lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said. "What we have witnessed is a victory for judicial independence and even prosecutorial independence in this country," Gobind told Reuters by phone. Sukma was jailed in 1998 for sodomy after making what he said was a forced confession. Prosecutors later used Sukma's admission to convict Anwar, who spent more than five years in jail on corruption and sodomy charges before being freed in 2004. Anwar had denied all the charges, saying they were contrived to end his career after he fell out with then premier Mahathir Mohamad and led anti-government protests. The High Court quashed his sodomy conviction within a year of Mahathir's retirement. Sukma had quickly appealed against his conviction and was released on bail part-way into his six-month jail term, pending the outcome. Finally, in June this year, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction and ordered the case to be retried. "It's great, great," Sukma told Reuters by phone. "It's been a terrible time. It's been almost nine years, so at last I have freedom." He said he now lived in Indonesia, caring for his elderly mother. Anwar welcomed the news and said the Attorney-General, the country's chief prosecutor, owed an apology. "I pray and hope that oppression will not be repeated in our country and change is implemented to restore the credibility of the government and the establishment," he said in a statement. Sukma says he made a false confession after police sexually abused him and threatened to have him shot. He says authorities offered him leniency if he falsely accused Anwar of sodomy. Gobind said the prosecution had told the court on Monday that it was dropping the charge partly because of the age of the case and the fact Sukma had already spent time in jail. The deputy public prosecutor was not immediately available for comment on Monday. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 Malaysia drops sodomy charge against Anwar brother Gobind said the prosecution had told the court on Monday that it was dropping the charge partly because of the age of the case and the fact Sukma had already spent time in jail. No more time in the hole? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-11-07 03:42 |