Shafee misleading public by saying Karpal was first to accuse Anwar of sodomy, says lawyer

Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah says Karpal Singh was the first to accuse Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sexual misconduct. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 13, 2015.

Another lawyer has taken Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to task for misleading the public by saying that the late Karpal Singh was the first to accuse Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sexual misconduct.

Ramkarpal Singh (pic, right) said if one were to read the Dewan Rakyat Hansard, Karpal was in fact concerned that such a serious allegation had been made against Anwar who was deputy prime minister in 1997.

"He raised the matter in Parliament with the aim of demanding a thorough investigation be conducted to clear Anwar of such allegations," Ramkarpal, who is Karpal's son, said in a statement.

He said this in response to Shafee's 20-paragraph statement issued to the media which criticised Anwar after the Federal Court on Tuesday dismissed the opposition leader's appeal for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Shafee, who was appointed ad-hoc deputy public prosecutor to conduct the appeal, said in the statement that the matter first arose in late 1997 when Karpal stood up in Parliament and held a statutory declaration which accused Anwar of being a homosexual.

"And who was his original accuser? The late Karpal Singh MP, a brilliant lawyer. Any account of the criminal and then political downfall of Anwar Ibrahim should recall who threw the first stone," said Shafee in the statement.

Ramkarpal, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, said Shafee's statement was not only misleading as what Karpal said in toto in Parliament but also did not reflect the context of what he had stated.

Ramkarpal said what was more disturbing was that Shafee’s remarks were blatant attempts to connect Sodomy I with Sodomy II by insinuating that Karpal had thrown the first stone, resulting in “this matter” arising.

In the first sodomy case, Anwar was acquitted by the Federal Court in 2004 for allegedly sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the driver of Anwar’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"Even if Karpal did ‘throw the first stone’, which is denied, that first stone could not have reached the domain of Sodomy II," Ramkarpal said.

Karpal had then repeatedly stated that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the then inspector-general of police Tan Sri Rahim Nor and the late attorney-general Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah had cleared Anwar of any sexual wrongdoing.

However, in 1998, after Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister, he was charged with sodomy and corruption which many believed was politically motivated.

Ramkarpal said Shafee should be careful with his words.

"To insinuate that the late Karpal Singh had ‘thrown the first stone’ resulting in this matter (Sodomy II) arising is clearly baseless and ought to be condemned outright," he said.

Karpal (pic, right) was part of the legal team which appeared for Anwar in the first sodomy case while in the second trial he was the lead counsel with Ramkarpal as his co-counsel.

Karpal, who was former DAP national chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP, died in a road accident near Kampar on April 17 last year.

Yesterday, former Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan also criticised Shafee, saying it was unprecedented for a deputy public prosecutor to attack Anwar after the apex court had delivered its verdict.

Ambiga said she was surprised by Shafee's conduct because no attorney-general or DPP would make such statements‎ after a court had made a ruling.

"It was not done in good faith and it is improper because Anwar could not defend himself," she said.

- TMI