KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife are among seven people who have been subpoenaed to testify in his political foe Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ongoing sodomy trial, after refusing a closed door interview last week. “Refuse to be interviewed is different from being subpoenaed,” the Opposition Leader’s lead lawyer Karpal Singh told reporters today, after Anwar gave his unsworn testimony from the dock as part of his defence.
Karpal explained that once the court issues a subpoena, those named in the court order are compelled to turn up.
He added the court order had been given out last Friday and “ought to have been served”.
PM Najib (picture) and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had turned up at the High Court here last week, unannounced, to meet with Anwar’s legal team.
Both said they would not say anything in court unless the court issued a subpoena instructing them to do so.
Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who was also named as a defence witness, gave the same answer.
Karpal told reporters those who have been ordered to testify for the defence can still apply to refuse the court order.
“Yes, they can still strike out the subpoena,” the veteran criminal lawyer said, and added that he had not been informed of any such application to date.
Others who have also been issued court orders to turn up are:
• Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan
• Ex-Malacca police chief Datuk Rodhwan Mohd Yusof
• Dr Muhd Osman Abd Hamid, the Pusrawi hospital doctor who was the first to medically examine Anwar’s complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan
• Nurse Yazihan Jusoh
• An Indonesian maid whose name is given only as “Suliati”.
The trial resumes 9am tomorrow.
The defence is expected to call its two Australian experts to testify. They are forensic pathologist Dr David Wells and DNA expert Dr Brian McDonald.
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