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10 APRIL 2024

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Day 7: Defence final submissions; decision today? (1)


LIVE REPORTS

9.27am: Court in session with Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria presiding.

Anwar, while getting into the dock, flashes a smile at the gallery where journalists are sitting.

9.16am: Defence lawyer Ram Karpal enters the courtroom with his mother, Gurmit Kaur.

Gurmit is the late Karpal's wife and she is seated next to Wan Azizah.

9am: The courtroom is already packed with people.

Seen sitting in the public gallery, which can accommodate about 70 people, is Selangor exco and Seri Delima assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is also PKR Youth chief, Wangsa Maju MP Dr Tan Kee Kwong, and former deputy housing and local government minister Lajim Ukin, who is from Sabah.

Lead prosecutor Muhammad Shafee Abdullah arrives in court.

8.45am: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim arrives with his wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as well as two daughters.

He is having a discussion with defence lawyers Gopal Sri Ram and R Sivarasa. The court is getting ready to start.

8.15am: Journalists and the public are allowed to enter the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, where the court hearing is held. The process is slow as security is extremely tight. Police personnel are scanning each and everyone entering the building.

PKR supporters who can get into the building are seen milling around the court complex. Police presence is heavy in the area.

8am: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy II appeal is expected to end today at the Federal Court with his defence team replying to the points raised by government-appointed prosecutor Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Originally fixed for two days, the hearing of Anwar's appeal in the country’s highest court is entering its seventh day today, with the defence and prosecution having taken three days each for their submissions.

Despite the absence of the late Karpal Singh (right), who played a critical role in the High Court trial as well as the hearing of the prosecution's appeal at the Court of Appeal, his legacy looms large as three of his children - all lawyers - are expected to make their arguments in court today.

Ram Karpal, who replaced his father as Bukit Gelugor parliamentarian, is expected to reply first on the DNA evidence raised by the prosecution.

This is followed by Karpal's only daughter, Sangeet Kaur Deo, on the three items allegedly containing Anwar's DNA which was retrieved from the Kuala Lumpur police contingent lock-up, and finally Gobind Singh Deo, who is also Puchong MP.

Karpal, 73, died in a tragic road accident on April 17 in Perak.

Padang Serai MP N Surendran will reply on Shafee’s points dismissing political conspiracy relating to Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's meeting with then deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak - two days before the alleged incident.

Finally, former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram (left), who is leading the defence team, will finish of his submission on Saiful's credibility as well as the overall defence case.

With this, the appeal by the opposition leader to set aside the conviction and five-year prison sentence will come to a close. Anwar was acquitted by the High Court in 2012 but this was overturned by the Court of Appeals in March this year.

It is worth mentioning that following the extended hearing of the appeal at the Federal Court, several cases had been postponed and among them is the appeal by former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, who was convicted and sentenced to one-year jail by the Shah Alam High Court for corruption, a decision which was upheld at the Court of Appeals.

Ironically, Shafee is representing Khir's defence in the Federal Court appeal, which was initially to begin today.

The biggest question is whether the five-member bench led by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, will follow the controversial Court of Appeal’s example in delivering its verdict immediately after the submissions or reserve its judgment to another day.

Should the Federal Court uphold the verdict on Anwar, Shafee, who is leading the prosecution team, will then submit on increasing the five-year jail term.

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