PKR has denied news reports that Anwar Ibrahim had compelled an Anti-Corruption Agency officer to write a statutory declaration exonerating the former.

In a press release today, PKR vice-president N Surendran said the insinuation by New Straits Times and Berita Harian today were not true.

"The SD was made voluntarily under oath by the former ACA (investigations) director Abdul Razak Idris in 2009.

"It is plainly absurd and utterly irresponsible for the NST to suggest that in 2009 Anwar had somehow compelled Abdul Razak Idris to make the SD," said Surendran, who is also a practising lawyer.

Front-page reports in both NST and Berita Harian featured an interview with Abdul Razak who claimed that Anwar had compelled him to sign the SD.

The document was tendered by Abdul Razak when he was on the witness box as a plaintiff's witness in a defamation suit brought by Anwar against NST.

Abdul Razak was among those who investigated claims that Anwar had RM3 billion in assets back in 1999. The case was eventually closed.

"Not having enough evidence to charge a person does not mean that the person being investigated is innocent.

"It can also mean that it is pointless to file charges as they will not stick in court," said Abdul Razak, who is reportedly now in Indonesia.

'Trial by hearsay'

Surendran pointed out that the NST and Berita Harian report appeared to be the latest attempt to taint Anwar's name, without providing any new evidence.

Instead, Umno-linked media organisations are subjecting Anwar to a "trial by hearsay and insinuations", said Surendran.

NONE "Baseless, misleading and unsupported statements are being given front page coverage under blatantly defamatory headlines.

"The allegations are then repeated by the BN controlled electronic media, without affording Anwar the opportunity to defend himself," he said.

Surendran (left) accussed such media organisations of having the tacit support of BN's leader and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"This Najib-inspired campaign of vilification and character assasination against the opposition leader is unprecedented in the history of our nation.

"We call upon the premier to call off these baseless personal attacks upon Anwar by the BN-owned media, and instead engage the opposition leader in televised debates on national policies and issues," he said.

'Case closed doesn't mean Anwar is innocent'