The Federal Court's decision yesterday allowing lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to act as the government's prosecutor in the Sodomy II appeal against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is tantamount to denying Anwar's right to a fair trial, PKR vice-president N Surendran said today.

NONE The Padang Serai MP, who is also a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, said in a statement that the decision "deprives Anwar of his basic constitutional right".

"Shafee Abdullah was present at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's residence when the complainant Saiful Azlan Bukhari met with Najib. Further, Shafee is also Najib and (his wife) Rosmah Mansor's personal lawyer and has close links with Umno," he said.

"Knowing the political animosity of Najib and Umno against Anwar, how can the Federal Court allow Shafee Abdullah to be prosecutor against Anwar? The decision goes against every basic concept of fairness and justice in our legal system," Surendran added.

He said that it was "unprecedented" in Commonwealth nations' legal history that an individual closely related to a criminal case be appointed as the prosecutor.

"The decision plunges prosecutorial standards in Malaysia to a disgraceful new low; and further undermines public confidence in the judiciary," Surendran said.

He said Najib should to explain why his "personal lawyer" was chosen to conduct the prosecution against Anwar.

Shafee's appointment as a prosecutor by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has drawn much flak from the opposition, with Anwar and his counsel Karpal Singh failing in their bids to remove Shafee from the prosecution at the Court of Appeal and also in the Federal Court.