KUALA LUMPUR, July 18(PATC): Statements being made by senior government officials raise concerns as to the credible dispensation of the law and suggest “political conspiracy”, counsel to former deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Sivarasa Rasiah said remarks made by a Cabinet Member, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar regarding Anwar’s refusal to give blood for DNA sample were tantamount to interfering in an ongoing investigation.
In a press conference held at Anwar’s residence here today, Sivarasa noted that Syed Hamid had been quoted as saying: “What is he (Anwar) afraid of? He can have his own doctor present when giving the sample.”
“Besides being an inappropriate interference in the investigation, these comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of the concerns we are raising regarding the introduction of DNA evidence,” Sivarasa said.
Citing specific instances, Sivarasa said Anwar had experienced “phenomenon of fabrication of DNA evidence” during the 1998-1999 trial and that the person implicated in the fabrication of evidence then had now ascended to “much more powerful positions within the law enforcement apparatus”.
Complainant in police custody
“Anwar has even more reason to believe of the probability that DNA evidence will be fabricated once again. This is reasonable because the complainant remains in police custody since June 28, and the police are also in possession of Anwar’ DNA from the earlier case,” Sivarasa said.
Sivarasa also reiterated that there has yet to be any credible justification for resorting to DNA analyses when the police report made by the complainant remains shrouded in secrecy and no evidence substantiating the allegations were made available.
He also noted that DNA would only be “corroborative” and not primary evidence.
“We would also like to reiterate that he (Anwar) made that lengthy statement (on Wednesday) even though he could have exercised his rights within the law to have remained completely silent as the contents of the complainant’s police report were not made known to him,” he said.
Sivarasa however declined to specifically divulged Anwar’s where about on June 26, the day the alleged sodomy offence took place despite quizzed repeatedly by the media, saying that everything had been communicated to the police.
He hinted of a “shifted goal post” as one of the reason not to divulge the detail.
/end.
