Saiful sues Anwar for RM50m over sodomy claim
Ida Lim, Malay Mail Online
PKR’s Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is now facing a RM50 million civil suit from his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan for alleged sodomy and for purportedly harming the latter’s reputation.
In the suit filed on June 25, Saiful sought damages for his losses and physical pain and suffering since the alleged 2008 sodomy incident, among other things.
In his statement of claim, Saiful traced the events back to his June 28, 2008 police report against his then-employer Anwar, in which he accused the PKR de facto chief of sodomising him without his consent two days earlier.
Saiful maintained that his credibility as a witness was not disputed by both the High Court which acquitted Anwar in 2012, or the Court of Appeal, which subsequently reversed the acquittal and sentenced the opposition leader to five years’ jail on March 7 this year.
Insisting that he had told the truth about the alleged sodomy, Saiful claimed that Anwar had constantly told the media that the former aide had allegedly defamed him by providing false testimony through the police report.
Saiful added that Anwar had also filed for qazaf or false accusation against him in the Shariah Court and gave the impression that he was untrustworthy and had lied.
Now aged 28, Saiful said all these allegations had caused him to be greatly humiliated and be regarded lowly in society.
Saiful’s lawsuit was brought up for case management today before Deputy Registrar Norfauzani Mohd Nordin, with lawyers Shahid Adli and Zamri Idrus representing Anwar and Mohd Saiful respectively.
The court ordered Anwar to file his defence by September 3 and set October 8 for the next case management.
Anwar is currently appealing against the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the sodomy acquittal, with case management of his appeal at the Federal Court set for tomorrow.
