PAS leaders today said present circumstances as well as past history show that DNA evidence cannot be accepted to indicate Anwar Ibrahim’s guilt in relation to the sodomy allegation.

This is because there have been claims of senior law officials allegedly manipulating and falsifying evidence against the PKR de facto leader.

anwar ibrahim freed from police ipk detention pc 170708 10 "It (DNA) cannot be accepted as an ultimate proof that he is guilty," PAS MP Khalid Abdul Samad told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

He was referring to Anwar’s allegation against Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan and Attorney-General Abdul Ghani Patail that they manipulated and fabricated evidence pertaining to the assault on him 10 years ago by then-IGP Rahim Noor.

In a statement read out by PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, party president Abdul Hadi Awang insisted that the sodomy allegation leveled against Anwar could only find justice through the processes of Islamic laws.

"Because of this, PAS rejects any accusation that is based on assumptions and speculations. This goes also for the use of DNA which can always be manipulated, created and modified to deny true justice," he said.

He also said the party viewed seriously the manner in which the police arrested Anwar despite his earlier agreement to appear at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters to give his statement.

He called on all quarters to remember the legal principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

"This principle should be held to in assessing the accusation against Anwar Ibrahim," he added.

'Bring your doctors'

Meanwhile, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Anwar can have his own doctors present to ensure that they are satisfied that the DNA sample submitted to the police is not manipulated or modified.

syed hamid albar parliament pc 150708 He said Anwar’s doctors can also maintain their own set of the DNA sampl to compare with that in the possession of the police.

He cited claims that the chances of an erroneous DNA identification was only "one to 60 billion".

"Since we are searching for the truth, make yourself subject to that truth. There are various ways of obtaining that truth, and this is one of the most perfect ways of doing so," he said.

He also noted that the police are not empowered to compel any persons to submit their DNA.

To a suggestion by Gerakan Youth chief Mah Siew Keong that an independent forensic team be allowed to assist in the investigation, Syed Hamid said he does not preclude that possibility.

"I do not exclude that...But it must not interfere with (the government’s) own conduct of the investigations," he added.

On the issue of the police report lodged by Anwar’s accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the minister said he believes a copy of the report would be furnished in due time to Anwar’s lawyers.

"I don’t think there would be a problem of getting the report that they want. At present, it’s still at the initial stage of being investigated," he said.

However, he noted the risk of jeopardising the investigations if the contents of that report were made public.

"I’m asking for your cooperation to understand that there are some things that lawyers say...I cannot get involved. Let them sort it out within the law. Let them sort it out with the police," he said.

Contrary to the claims by opposition parties, the minister said Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin had not seen the police report.

"I can assure you that he doesn’t have access. Neither have I seen the report by Saiful or anyone else," he said.

Hadi: No Umno-PAS talks

In an unrelated development, Abdul Hadi reiterated the party’s commitment to Pakatan Rakyat and denied media reports of talks between the Islamic opposition party and Umno.

hadi awang interview 040208 hands "I also wish to stress here that in the country’s current political environment filled with slander and social and economic decline, we will continue to struggle with Pakatan Rakyat to bring about a government that is responsible, clean and just.

"It has to be made clear here that this issue should not be dragged into picture by Umno in order to close and divert attention of the people from the strife going on within that party.

"The same thing goes for the other issues that have not been dealt with by Umno and the Barisan Nasional government such as the rising cost of living, economic instability, the crime rate, unemployment and corruption," he said.