Although Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan has openly accused Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him, the attorney-general decided to charge the opposition icon with consensual sodomy based on evidence and statements accumulated during police investigations.

In disclosing this, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said it was now up to the court to decide whether or not to accept Saiful’s allegations that the accused had sexually assaulted him.

"The AG’s Chambers used its discretion to charge Anwar with consensual sodomy based on the evidence in its possession.

syed hamid albar 070406 "If Saiful wants to make a testimony to the court on his rape accusation, it's up to him, and it's up to the court to accept it," Syed Hamid told newsmen during the Permatang Pauh by-election nominations in Bukit Mertajam's Tuanku Bainun Teaching Institute this morning.

He said this when asked whether the former PKR volunteer’s open confession yesterday after swearing on the Quran that he was forcibly sodomised by Anwar was sub-judicial to the trial.

"I don't know whether or not it was sub-judice because Saiful took the oath to let people know that he was a sodomy victim," Syed Hamid said.

The minister also refuted claims that the announcement was a political gimmick, saying that it was pure coincidence that Mohd Saiful chose to swear on the Quran one day before nomination day, adding that the police report against Anwar was lodged well before any decision on any by-election was made.

‘No’ to character assassination

When the minister was informed that the police had stopped Syariah officers from recording statements from Saiful, as had been claimed by Anwar, Syed Hamid appeared surprised.

saiful bukhari azlan and anwar ibrahim 150808 2 "I don't think the police would have prevented it because it is against the process of law," he said, suggesting that the opposition stalwart could have made up the story.

"Anwar is always shrewd in manipulating issues by making all sorts of allegations," he said.

On the Permatang Pauh by-election, Syed Hamid hoped campaigning would be conducted in a fair and disciplined manner.

"I think we are matured enough to run the election free and fair.

"Let's not embark on character assassination," he said, adding that about 3,000 policemen have been deployed to the area to ensure order for the next 10 days.