Kuala Lumpur: Ending his dramatic holed-up in the Turkish embassy, Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who is facing new sodomy charges today left the diplomatic premises here after the government lodged a protest with Ankara's envoy.
Anwar, 60, sought refuge in the Turkish Embassy yesterday to evade arrest after an aide identified as Saiful Bukhari Azlan lodged a police report against him alleging that he had been sodomised. Anwar later moved to the envoy's residence claiming that his life was in danger.
However, the People's Justice Party leader, who was once a part of the powerful ruling coalition, emerged from the ambassador's house in upscale U-Thant area with his wife Azizah Ismail this evening saying that the Abdullah Badawi government had guaranteed his personal safety. The development came hours after Anwar filed a defamation suit through his lawyers in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, seeking unspecified compensation from 23-year-old Saiful.
Anwar was sacked from the cabinet by former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad for allegedly sodomising his driver in 1998. The charges were overturned in 2004 and he was freed but Anwar claimed that he was framed to stop him from challenging Mahathir's leadership.
Anwar guided the weak opposition alliance in the March 8 general elections to an unprecedented victory over the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition that has dominated Malaysia politics for over five decades. The opposition now controls five states and one third of the parliament seats.
Early today Malaysian foreign minister Rais Yatim met Turkish ambassador Barlas Ozener to convey "the government's concern over the matter to the Turkish ambassador and told him that the laws of the land must be abided". MORE
Rais told reporters that the diplomat had clarified that Anwar had gone there on his own accord.
Anwar was never invited to the Turkish diplomat's home nor had he sought political asylum from the Turkish government, the minister said.
"The Malaysian government accepts this explanation. Anwar is not at the ambassador's house as an asylum seeker but as a guest," Rais added.
"If the practise of this embassy is to be emulated by the others, then it would create lots of problems. If a police report is lodged against a person and that person does not want to answer the charges or let the police interview him or her, they would run to any embassy. This will undermine our laws," he was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying. Claiming that the new charges against him were "fabricated", Anwar said in a statement on his blog last evening that he would make public new evidence showing "the Inspector General of the Police Musa Hassan and the Attorney General Gani Patail engaged in criminal acts of fabricating evidence in cases launched" against him in 1998.
On the lawsuit, Anwar's lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah said the leader wants "to have his day in court as soon as possible and to further reinforce his position... that this police report is a complete fabrication and is basically done as politically motivated."
Meanwhile, a police forensic team this morning spent five hours sweeping the luxury condominium here for evidence in the alleged sodomy case, Malaysiakini online news portal.
Deputy prime minister Najib Tun Razak said it had to be established whether there was a criminal case against Anwar. Asked about Anwar's apprehension that the 1998 incident of his having been assaulted when under detention might recur, Najib said "No. That was very unfortunate and we have gone through that." -
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