Anwar lawyers claim flaw in DNA analysis
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s defence moved to cast doubt on a government scientist’s DNA profiling report today, claiming her analysis was too simple and incomplete.
Forensic scientist Dr Seah Lay Hong had determined that one of the male contributors of semen stains found on a pair of black trousers belonged to its owner, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a former aide to Anwar.
Saiful had complained he was sodomised by his then-employer in a luxury condominium here three years ago.
“The probability of a coincidental match from a randomly selected, unrelated individual as calculated based on the population database of Malaysian Malays is one in 570 quadrillion,” Dr Seah had told the ongoing sodomy trial yesterday, while under questioning from the prosecution.
She added that the DNA profile from a swab of the semen stain on the trousers had matched Saiful’s DNA profile taken from his bloodstain sample.
She said she had performed the statistical evaluation calculations that yielded those results as it was important to make sure the DNA profile was Saiful’s and not someone else’s.
Today, the defence challenged that view.
Anwar’s lawyer, Ramkarpal Singh, asked Dr Seah if she had carried out the statistical evaluation to confirm a probability match of the other male DNA contributors.
Two other male DNA profiles had been detected on swabs of Saiful’s perianal region and high rectal zones, but have not been identified in court yet.
