The young man who has accused Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy said today they had trysts during trips to Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.

Anwar, 63, a former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, has denied the allegations, which he says have been trumped up in a political conspiracy to end his career.

NONE In cross-examination of the accuser, 25-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the defence has highlighted his meeting with Prime Minister Najib Razak - who was then deputy premier - shortly before making the complaint.

"Did you orchestrate this with the help of the police and the deputy prime minister at the time?" defence counsel Karpal Singh asked Saiful, who replied that he did not.

Asked why he met with a top police officer at that time, Saiful replied: "I wanted to tell him my problem. I had been sodomised by Anwar several times in and out of the country, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok."

The trial opened briefly in February with explicit evidence from Saiful, a former aide in Anwar's office, who said his boss propositioned him for sex when he met him at a Kuala Lumpur apartment on June 26, 2008.

Anwar: Not an ordinary case

Prosecutors have said that two days after the alleged incident Saiful underwent a medical examination and that DNA tests on samples taken from his body showed traces of Anwar's semen.

Karpal questioned Saiful over how the evidence remained intact, despite his having washed before saying Friday prayers the following day, according to Muslim rites.

NONE "After the incident, I just rinsed myself because I want to keep the evidence," Saiful said, adding that he waited to lodge a report because he needed to get advice.

He said that among those whose advice he sought were an aide to Najib's wife, and a former opposition figure who has since defected to the government.

"There is enough to show this is not an ordinary case," Anwar told reporters outside the court, referring to the involvement of several high-profile individuals.

The defence made further unsuccessful attempts today to win access to Saiful's police statements, which Anwar said would likely contain contradictions that could force the case to collapse.

Anwar has said that the trial is undermined by the fact that he has been charged with a consensual sexual act while Saiful claimed he was assaulted.

"Would you accept a case of a theft of a duck as a theft of a chicken?" Karpal asked the judge, who refused to postpone the case while the defence appeals his decision not to release the documents.

- AFP