Malaysia prosecutors wrap up case in Anwar trial

Malaysian prosecutors finished questioning witnesses Thursday in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial, paving the way for him to learn whether he can win an acquittal without needing to present his defense.

Hearings have been delayed repeatedly since Anwar was first charged in August 2008 with having sex with a male former aide. Anwar maintains the charge is part of a government conspiracy to crush his political career, but authorities deny plotting against him.

Anwar has also been forced this week to deny new allegations that he was filmed having sex with a prostitute. Two former government politicians and a businessman leaked a sex video they claim featured Anwar to several journalists Monday, but it has not been publicly circulated.

The prosecution's 27 witnesses in Anwar's trial included Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the 25-year-old man who testified in February last year that Anwar coerced him into having sex at a Kuala Lumpur condominium in 2008. Sodomy is punishable by 20 years in prison in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

Both the prosecution and defense will present a summary of their case so far on April 18. The court will then determine whether to acquit Anwar or instruct his lawyers to call their witnesses to rebut the prosecution.

Anwar's lawyer, Karpal Singh, said the defense would likely summon Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife to testify. Both of them met Saiful shortly before Anwar was charged.

On Thursday, prosecutors questioned a police officer and a chemist who spoke about a towel, water bottle and toothbrush taken from a lockup where Anwar was briefly detained in 2008.

Prosecution witnesses said those items contain DNA that match semen found on Anwar's accuser. The court has rejected the defense's insistence that the items were illegally obtained.

Anwar, who is married with six children, lost his post as deputy premier in 1998 on charges of sodomizing his family's ex-driver and trying to cover up his actions. He was freed from prison in 2004 when a court quashed the sodomy conviction. He denied those charges and subsequently led an opposition alliance to unprecedented gains in 2008 elections.