KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The Federal Court's hearing of Opposition leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's
appeal against his sodomy conviction enters its seventh day today, making it
the longest criminal appeal hearing at the apex level.
Criminal lawyers told The Malaysian Insider that appeals for
criminal cases at the Federal Court usually last three days.
The court had originally fixed October 28 and 29 to hear
submissions by the defence and prosecution in Anwar's case, where the opposition
leader is appealing a conviction for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful
Bukhari Azlan.
The hearing was extended due to the volume of submissions,
with the defence and prosecution taking about three days each.
The prosecution, led by government-appointed private lawyer
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, completed submissions on Tuesday by painting
Saiful as a victim of sexual abuse and laying the burden of proof on the
defence to prove the sodomy.
Anwar's defence team, led by retired Federal Court judge
Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, will give a closing reply this morning.
Co-counsel Sangeet Kaur Deo is expected to begin the closing
statement with rebuttals to Shafee on DNA evidence.
The defence is seeking to restore the findings 
by the trial
court, which acquitted Anwar, that the DNA evidence tendered in the case was
inconclusive.
by the trial
court, which acquitted Anwar, that the DNA evidence tendered in the case was
inconclusive.
Police presence outside the Palace of Justice courthouse in
Putrajaya today is the strongest yet in all the days of the hearing.
Speaking to The Malaysian Insider, Putrajaya OCPD ACP Abdul
Razak Abdul Majid declined to give exact numbers but said "there are
enough personnel to handle any incident".
Strike Force personnel were seen gathering some
distance away from the courthouse.
Source: The Malaysian Insider
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