Sodomy charges brought by individual, not the government - PMO

The sodomy case against Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was brought by a private individual and not the government, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement today.

"The police report against Anwar Ibrahim was brought by a private individual – Anwar’s employee and personal assistant – not by the government. As the victim of a serious sexual assault, he had every right to have his case heard in court," the statement read.

“In this case, exhaustive and comprehensive due process has been followed over many years. That process is now complete, and we call on all parties involved to respect the legal process and the judgment.”

The PM's office said that there have been many rulings against senior government figures and stressed that Malaysia has an independent judiciary.

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria, who led the five-member panel comprising Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Shariff and Federal Court judges Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar and Datuk Ramly Ali, convicted Anwar of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.