The statutory declarations now refuted by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Rahimi Osman will not affect to the ongoing sodomy trial against the opposition leader, said party vice president R Sivarasa.

“It is irrelevant to the trial after the statement (Rahimi) made to the police,” he told reporters at the party headquarters today.

According to Sivarasa, Rahimi had made a statement which mirrored the statutory declarations on July 23, 2008, where he linked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the sodomy charges against Anwar.

“Rahimi is believed to be listed as a prosecution witness, and if he is called to court, the police statement will be brought up,” he said.

 

He also rubbished claims that the declarations were defence team’s trump cards, saying that it was more a fail-safe following their experience in the first sodomy trial which began in 1998.

 

Back then, witnesses including Anwar’s speech writer Dr Munawar Anees testified against him only to recently reveal that they were forced to do so following an allegedly torturous police interrogation.

Hidden hand to be revealed

Lawyer Latheefa Koya added that there is now “no use” for Rahimi’s statutory declarations as complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had already testified to meeting Najib, Rosmah and her friend Mumtaz Jaafar.

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who is the star witness in the ongoing sodomy trial against Anwar, had once testified that Rahimi had brought him to see former PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor, prior to the meeting with Najib.

Saiful had also testified that he had lodged a police report against Anwar on the advice of his uncle, Rahimi and a Muslim religious teacher.

Latheefa, who is also PKR information chief, was named alongside fellow lawyer and Kedah PKR youth chief Saiful Izham Ramli by Rahimi of forcing him to sign the declarations.

Rahimi's allegations were documented in a police report yesterday and his subsequent press conference to unveil the contents of the report was disrupted by a group of pro-Anwar supporters.

Sivarasa added that the sudden reference to the statutory declarations, which have yet to to be tendered to court, raises more questions than answers.

“The question now is why have the statutory declarations suddenly been referred to after two and a half years? There are other motives here. It is not about the declarations but to tarnish the image of Anwar and legal team,” he said.

He added that they know who is the “hidden hand” behind this, and will reveal this in “the second chapter in the coming weeks”.