The Kuala Lumpur High Court has fixed next Thursday (Sept 29) to hear Premier Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor’s application to set aside subpoenas compelling them to appear as witnesses in Anwar Ibrahim’s ongoing sodomy trial.

This was confirmed by solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden and Anwar’s defence counsel Sankara Nair after the parties met in chambers.

Najib and Rosmah filed their application at the Criminal registry, with four lawyers representing them.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah made the decision after having the matter officially brought before the court today.

NONE None of the lawyers representing Najib and Rosmah were in court.

They are represented by former DPP Salehuddin Saidin ( left ), senior criminal lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik ( second from left ), M Athimulan ( right ) and Ghazi Ishak.

Najib and Rosmah were first interviewed by Anwar’s lawyers last month where both told them they declined to be interviewed and be defence witness.

In all there are six defence witnesses left who have yet to testify in the case, including Najib and Rosmah, before the setting-aside application was submitted yesterday.

azlan The others include Chemistry Department director-general Lim Kong Boon, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan, former Malacca police chief Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof, and the Dutch-born orthopaedic surgeon Thomas Hoogland, who had treated and operated on Anwar’s spine in Munich, Germany.

Hoogland operated on Anwar after the former deputy prime minister was released from prison in 2004 and he has continuously seen the politician from time to time to render treatment.

The surgeon had also met Anwar when he was in prison to assess the injury to his back when there were calls for the politician to have his surgery here and not in Germany.

Lawyer Sankara Nair also told reporters there has been no application to set aside subpoenaes from Musa and Rodwan. Both of them, like Najib and Rosmah, had declined to be interviewed when also called last month.

Lim, who is no stranger as he was one of the witnesses in the Sodomy I case, is expected to take the stand when the case resumes on Oct 3, to clarify on the forensic lab certification.

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