Arrest warrant issued for Malaysia's Anwar over sodomy allegation, lawyer says

The Associated Press ,  Kuala Lumpur   |  Wed, 07/16/2008 2:31 PM  |  World

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim faced police questioning Wednesday in connection with a sodomy accusation by a male former aide, his lawyer said.

Counsel Sankara Nair said police issued an arrest warrant for Anwar and named him formally as "a suspect" in the case. Police faxed the lawyer a letter asking the politician to appear at a police station for questioning before 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), Nair said.

"An arrest warrant on your client has been issued," said the letter, signed by investigating officer Jude Pereira. Nair distributed copies of the letter at a news conference held in Anwar's house. Anwar himself did not attend.

The sodomy accusation, which Anwar has repeatedly said was politically motivated, has helped slow down the leader's campaign to topple the government, which suffered badly at the hands of his three-party People's Alliance in the March 8 general elections.

The ruling National Front coalition, which has traditionally enjoyed a two-thirds majority, now has only a 30-seat advantage over the opposition.

Police Criminal Investigation Department chief Mohamad Bakri Zinin warned authorities will take "necessary action" if Anwar does not present himself for questioning before the deadline.

Anwar will abide by the police order and is prepared for the arrest, Nair said. He can be held in custody for up to 14 days, after which he must be charged. Sodomy is a non-bailable offense, punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

The arrest warrant came ahead of Anwar's unprecedented live television debate Tuesday night with a Cabinet minister over the government's unpopular fuel price rises. Anwar vowed to reduce fuel prices during the debate, saying only government corruption and mismanagement made the hike necessary.

Anwar was similarly accused of sodomy a decade ago, leading to his ouster as deputy prime minister and subsequent prison sentence. Malaysia's Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, but by then Anwar had served six years in jail on a related corruption charge.

Anwar's charisma and strategic skills were credited with boosting the opposition's strength in the 222-member Parliament from 19 to 82 seats.(**)

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