Did cops question Anwar, ex-aide, asks Yusoff's legal team

Summary

• Yusoff Rawther’s lawyers have demanded answers from the police on whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak were questioned over claims of entrapment.

• They claim that while the Dang Wangi police report was raised during Yusoff’s trial, the police have yet to clarify the investigation’s status.

• Yusoff, recently acquitted after over nine months in remand, alleges the case was meant to derail his civil suit against Anwar for alleged sexual assault.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain has come under pressure to confirm whether authorities had questioned key individuals named in a previous report filed by Yusoff Rawther, in which he claimed that he was framed.

In a letter to Razarudin today, Yusoff’s lawyers questioned whether police had investigated or recorded statements from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak.

“During (Yusoff’s) trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, the Dang Wangi police report was tendered as an exhibit and brought to the attention of two investigating officers assigned to the weapons and drug cases, respectively.

“However, no conclusive answers have been provided regarding the status of the investigation into this report,” stated the letter sent by law firm Law Practice of Rafique.

The legal representatives also said that if Razarudin or the police fail to respond adequately to the letter within seven days, their client reserves the right to pursue further legal action.

The letter was also sent to Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Isa, the Dang Wangi police station chief, and the deputy director for the Criminal Investigation Department’s prosecution and legal division, Zainal Abdullah.

Malaysiakini has contacted Razarudin and Bukit Aman’s communications team for a response to the matter.

‘Persecution, entrapment’

According to a copy of Yusoff’s police report filed on Sept 12 last year and attached in the letter, he claimed that he was never involved in any activities involving drugs or firearms. 

He added that he is a “victim of persecution and entrapment” by Anwar and Farhash, alleging that the accusations against him were meant to adversely affect his life and “silence” his civil suit against Anwar.

Yusoff, who had been held in remand for nine months and 10 days, was acquitted by the High Court yesterday after judge Jamil Hussin ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case on charges concerning drug trafficking and possession of two imitation pistols.

The release of the prime minister’s former research assistant came amid renewed attention on his civil suit against Anwar, whom he accused of sexual assault.

Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal issued an ad interim stay on all proceedings involving Yusoff’s civil suit.

This is after a three-judge panel allowed the prime minister’s application to put the lawsuit on hold pending the disposal of Anwar’s bid to secure a full stay.

The hearing on the full stay application has been set for July 21.

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