Yusoff Rawther case: 8 questioned so far, cops not ruling out polygraph test
(FMT) – Police have so far questioned eight people as part of a criminal investigation into claims of sexual assault against PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Huzir Mohamad said police would summon more individuals in the case involving Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who has accused Anwar of attempting to outrage his modesty.
“We will be calling several other witnesses to assist in the probe. That’s all the update on the case,” he told reporters today.
Huzir meanwhile said police would include polygraph tests in their investigation if the need arises.
This comes after Yusoff’s lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla today said his client was ready to undergo a polygraph test.
“Yusoff is also fully aware that similar to other forensic tests, there are no specific provisions of law which provide for the conduct of polygraph tests in criminal investigations, but believes that the availability of such technology within our jurisdiction should be put to use in this investigation to support his allegation, independent from the voluntary statutory declaration which he affirmed on Nov 19, 2019,” Haniff said.
FMT reported last week that a polygraph test was among the options being considered by police as investigators zero in on the details surrounding Yusoff’s allegations of sexual assault.
Bukit Aman’s Classified Criminal Investigation Unit (D5) has launched a probe under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which deals with using criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty, based on the police report filed by Yusoff on Dec 7.
Yusoff, the grandson of late Penang consumer advocate SM Idris, was questioned for hours at Bukit Aman last week.
In his statutory declaration, Yusoff said he had thwarted Anwar’s attempt to outrage his modesty when the two met at the PKR president’s house on Oct 2 last year.
Polygraph tests, which have been used by the police, armed forces and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in their investigations, mark physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and respiration during questioning.
