Advertisement

Police report lodged against PKR veep for allegedly questioning court’s decision in sodomy case

Notis aduan gesa ketua hakim negara bertindak terhadap peguam Anwar

An Umno Youth division leader in Penang has lodged a police report against lawyer and PKR veep N. Surendran for allegedly questioning the judiciary's credibility after the Court of Appeal found Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim guilty of sodomy.

Umno Tanjung division deputy chief Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusof said Surendran (pic), who is also Padang Serai MP, should be held in contempt for inciting the people to question the credibility of the judiciary.

Yusmadi said this after lodging a report against Surendran at the Lebuh Pantai police station in Penang today.

Yusmadi said he had read an article dated April 18 in a news portal where Surendran had questioned the written judgment of the Court of Appeal in Anwar's sodomy case. Surendran had allegedly said that the decision was flawed.

Yusmadi said this was the first report against Surendran on the matter but more was expected to follow.

Yusmadi also quoted a similar case involving Perkasa leader Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Anwar last year over an article by blogger Zainuddin Salleh in Perkasa's website that tarnished the image of High Court judge Datuk V.T. Singham.

Singham was presiding over a defamation suit by Anwar against Malay daily Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd when Zainuddin's article appeared in Perkasa's website on January 7 last year. Singham's decision on the defamation case, at that time, was still pending.

On January 21, Singham ruled in favour of Anwar in the suit, which was over two articles on his comments on homosexuality laws during an interview with the BBC.

After the decision, Anwar moved to cite Ibrahim and Zainuddin for contempt for the attacks against Singham.

Ibrahim was jailed a day and fined RM20,000 after being held in contempt by the Kuala Lumpur High Court while Zainuddin was sentenced to four weeks' jail.

"Surendran is being a hypocrite by questioning the Court of Appeal's decision in Anwar's sodomy case. His action clearly insults the court.

"We see how Anwar used the law against the people while Surendran and PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli are doing the same thing (questioning the courts) as it is halal to them," he said.

Anwar is facing a five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide in 2008. He was first acquitted of the offence in January 2012 by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The Court of Appeal reversed the decision on March 7 and sentenced him to five years' jail.

Anwar is appealing against the decision while the prosecution has filed a cross-appeal seeking to enhance the sentence.

Anwar will lose his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat if his appeal is unsuccessful. – April 21, 2014.