Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial resumed today with defence lawyer Karpal Singh quizzing the three doctors from Hospital Kuala Lumpur who had examined complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

 

LIVE REPORTS

8.32am: Deputy public prosecutors Mohd Hanafiah Zakaria and CK Wong arrive in court along with defence lawyer CV Prabhakaran.

Representatives from both the US Embassy and the Australia High Commission are in court as observers.

8.38am: The accused, Anwar Ibrahim, enters the courtroom with his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, along with two of their daughters.

Anwar is seen talking to the US representatives.

8.44am: Solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abidin walks in with Anwar's lawyer Param Cumaraswamy.

Bar Council deputy chairperson Lim Chee Wee is having a chat with Anwar. The court is now packed, with the seats in the public gallery almost fully occupied.

Investigating officer DSP Jude Pereira and another officer are arranging some of the evidence near the witness table, getting these ready for today’s proceedings.

8.53pm: PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution enters the courtroom and is seated in the front row of the public gallery near Wan Azizah.

Lawyer Sankara Nair also arrives with Australian criminologist professor Dr David Wells.

8.58am: Anwar is having a discussion with his lawyers, Prabhakaran, Sankara and Param.

Ths court is filled. Sodomy complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's father, Azlan Md Lazim, is also in the public gallery.

9.03am: Anwar's Australian DNA specialist, Dr Brian McDonald, enters the courtroom. The court is still waiting for the arrival of lead defence counsel Karpal Singh.

9.17am: Karpal arrives in court. The  hearing is expected to begin soon.

9.27am: Karpal along with defence lawyers Sankara and Prabhakaran, solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof and DPP Hanafiah go into the chambers of High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah for a discussion.

During this time, Anwar is seen talking to the two Australian experts, Wells and McDonald.

He is also exchanging banter with supporters in the public gallery, some of whom had been waiting outside the courtroom as early as 6am.

9.42am: Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah, arrives and sits near one of her sisters.

9.47am: All personnel came out of the chambers.

9.49am: The hearing begins. Mohd Yusof recalls Hospital Kuala Lumpur forensic pathologist Dr Siew Sheue Feng to answer a few more questions.

9.55am: Siew testifies that all specimens from Saiful were placed in sealed plastic containers.

These were then stored in a sealed plastic bag, with a list of all the samples. However, he acknowledges he did not sign the special plastic bag although his handwriting was on it.

9.57am: Karpal calls HKL general surgeon Dr Mohd Razali Ibrahim to take the  stand.

10.03am: Razali says he had attended two sodomy cases prior to this one, but this is the first time he is testifying.

10.15am: Razali says the doctors inspected Saiful for three hours and that, throughout, Jude Pereira was present.

He adds that the doctor on duty related Saiful's medical history. At one point, the police officer also related what had happened.

10.22am: Razali says the Saiful's medical report was prepared on the morning of July 13, 2008.

He says he was required to look at the report and sign it for the higher authorities. He admits that there was an earlier report, written after the examination was conducted.

Karpal asks whether the report was requested by the higher authorities and he says "yes".

10.30 am: Razali says Saiful's police report was in the file. However, he says all three doctors may not have seen the police report in front of them, when they prepared the report.

10.37am: Karpal asks for the first medical report prepared by the three doctors after they examined Saiful on June 28.

This was prepared before the July 13 report, which has been tendered in court.

10.42am: The court stands down until this afternoon for Razali to get the report.

Outside the court, Anwar claims that the prosecution has lied about the existence of the preliminary report.

Noon: All the lawyers are back in court. Mohd Yusof is showing the defence team a document which he retrieved from Razali and presumed to be the document requested.

Razali is taking the stand again, but the proceedings have yet to resume.

12.17pm: The lawyers and DPPs enter the judge's chambers.

12.19pm: Anwar returns to the courtroom.

12.23pm: The lawyers and DPPs come out of the judge's chambers. Anwar meets his lawyers for a discussion.

12.27pm: The hearing resumes. Mohd Yusof tells the court that Siew has an unsigned copy of the earlier report.

He wants the defence to make a formal application for the report.

"But we are making available the unsigned copy of the report."

Karpal said the unsigned copy is of no consequence.

"The witness said there is a signed copy, signed by all three witnesses," he points out.

12.32pm: The hearing is adjourned to 9am tomorrow for the doctors and investigating officer to locate the signed copy of the June 28 report.

Sodomy II: Karpal begins grilling HKL docs