Malay opposition leader Anwar fails to have sodomy charge dropped

Kuala Lumpur, Aug.16 (ANI): A Malaysian High Court has rejected opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's bid to strike out the sodomy charge against him.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohammad Diah ruled that the integrity of the prosecution had not been compromised as a result of the alleged affair between star witness Mohammad Saiful Bukhari Azlan and a member of the prosecution team, deputy public prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif.

The judge said that Farah Azlina's role in the proceeding was limited to taking notes.

"She had no access to the investigation papers and that means, Saiful also had no access to it," The Star quoted the judge, as saying.

The issue of Anwar not being fairly tried, therefore, did not arise, he said. This is Anwar's second attempt to drop the charge.

Anwar, 63, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor, is accused of sodomising Mohammad Saiful, his former personal aide on June 26, 2008. (ANI)