Key man in Malaysia's Anwar case files orders
10:01 a.m. Oct 23, 1998 Eastern
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A potential witness in a criminal trial against sacked Malaysian finance minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday sought court orders against the authorities in an apparent move to back his appeal against a sodomy conviction.
Anwar's 51-year-old former speechwriter Munawar Anees asked a court for a copy of a list of items seized by the police from his house and a detailed schedule of his movements from the time of his arrest on September 14 to his court appearance on September 19.
Munawar and Anwar's adopted brother Sukma Dermawan, 37, were sentenced to six months in jail last month after pleading guilty to allowing themselves to be sodomised by Anwar.
However, the two later decided to retract their guilty pleas and appeal against the convictions on the grounds their pleas had not been voluntary.
Anwar has been indicted on five counts of corruption and five of sodomy, including two citing Sukma and Munawar. He has denied all of the charges, saying he was the victim of a high-level government conspiracy.
Anwar, who had also been deputy prime minister, was sacked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sept 2 and was arrested on Sept 20. His trial is set to start on November 2.
The national Bernama news agency said Balwant Singh Sidhu, a lawyer hired by Munawar's family, filed the applications.
Munawar named federal police chief Abdul Rahim Noor, the prisons director-general and the government as respondents.
He said that among items seized by police were computer discs, written materials, family photographs, videos and audio cassettes.
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