The pledge to arrange interviews with key witnesses offered to the defence by the prosecution has yet to to be kept, said senior counsel Karpal Singh in relation to Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial.

Two months after the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Anwar  to enter his defence, his lawyers have yet toget access to interview the key witnesses, including premier Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

NONE Disclosing this today, Karpal asked how the defence can prepare its case, when the police and prosecution have failed to provide vital witnesses for them to interview.

"Till today, we have only managed to interview five witnesses, including the Pusrawi doctor, but they are not the vital witnesses. Initially, the police and prosecution were helpful. However, till now, they have not been assisting.

"Even the investigating officer, Supt Jude Blacious Pereira, is nowhere to be seen. The court has instructed Jude and the prosecution to assist, but none have rendered help. How are we to prepare the defence?" Karpal asked.

'Why change venue?'

He said arrangements for the defence to interview Najib and Rosmah have yet to be made.

The prosecution and defence, he said, had agreed that the witnesses would be interviewed at the Jalan Duta court complex in Kuala Lumpur.

"Why should we go to the Prime Minister's Office? We want a neutral place and this has been agreed to earlier," Karpal added.

The prosecution had offered 72 witnesses to the defence to interview for its case, including the 27 prosecution witnesses.

The defence also wants to talk to former police chief Musa Hassan, and Mohd Rodhwan Mohd Yusof, who was Najib's aide while deputy premier as he had met the complainant at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.