Sex video: Cops in cahoots with BN, decries PKR

Regina Lee, Malaysiakini
Apr 29, 2011
PKR has flayed the police, charging the enforcement agency with working in cahoots with the BN ruling coalition over the sex video, allegedly featuring party de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a sex worker.

In a press conference at PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya, party leaders claimed that the police are already going around town claiming that Anwar is man in the video.

Vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar (left in picture) said that she has received complaints that one SAC1 Isa Abdul Rahman from Bukit Aman has been giving talks to teachers in several schools in Kelantan for the past month, mainly to discredit the opposition leader.

“I was told that this officer from Bukit Aman has actually been telling teachers in Kelantan that Anwar is a threat to national security and the person in the video really is Anwar.

“I fully condemn this if it really is a Bukit Aman officer doing that. Whatever efforts used to discredit Anwar Ibrahim appear to have the encouragement of the police, BN, Umno and the mainstream media owned by BN,” she said.

Fellow vice-president Tian Chua also accused the police of “dancing to the tune of the ruling parties”, saying that he personally has also received complaints that Malay party workers have been pulled aside for “friendly advice” from the police.

“My election workers have been pulled aside and given a lecture by the police, saying that 'it's true that Anwar is the man in the video' and that they have 'inside information'.

“It's not isolated but widespread. Many of our Malay party members have been targeted to be given this sort of 'advice' that Anwar truly is the actor. Such talk has been experienced by many PKR members,” he said.

'The burden was left to Anwar to prove innocence'

PKR also accused the police of double standards, especially when it comes to the treatment of Anwar.

They claimed that though the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' has been the guiding legal basis of criminal cases, the police seemed to have made up their minds about Anwar's guilt.

“When it comes to Anwar, the treatment is not normal... Anwar Ibrahim has already provided an alibi but now the police want accuse him as if the burden of proof is upon him. The same way, people should go to (Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor) and ask what they were doing on the night of (Mongolian translator) Altantuya Shariibuu's murder.

“With BN, the approach is always different. Why is it so different then when it comes to Anwar?” asked communications chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (right), who was also at the press conference.

Chua also said that the police have been deliberately ignoring the glaring inconsistencies and criminal acts that have been allegedly committed with the distribution of the sex video.

“Apart from the fact that the police are not investigating the aspects of criminal intimidation and under the Film and Censorship Act, there is no issue of whether it is Anwar in the film or not.

“The police then said that they want to identify the watch until someone said it was not relevant. Then again the issue of the watch was brought up by the investigating officer. What's the watch about? The whole issue is to create the impression that Anwar is the actor as far as criminal justice is concerned...

“The issue here is about someone using the video material to intimidate and harass Anwar,” said Chua, before accusing the police of dragging their feet on the matter.
Chua proceeded to pull out a poster showing two screen grabs - one from the sex video said be recorded on Feb 21 and the other from a media organisation taken on Feb 22, the day after.

Chua pointed out that in the Feb 22 video taken by TV Selangor outside the courtroom where Anwar appeared for his ongoing sodomy trial, Anwar had longer hair, whereas the sex video showed a man with close-cropped hair.

"I don't know what Anwar can eat to make his hair grow so fast," quipped Nik Nazmi.

The sex video caper started on March 21 when businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah invited several journalists and editors for a screening of the footage at the Carcosa Seri Negara hotel in Kuala Lumpur, claiming that it was recorded at a KL spa.

He earlier said that he stumbled across the CCTV camera and its recording when he was allegedly summoned by Anwar to retrieve his Omega watch. Eskay later handed the watch over to the police, when he gave his statement together with his DNA in Bukit Aman.

While the full-length video has been released on popular video sharing website YouTube, Anwar has firmly denied that he was the man in the video, lodging a police report in the process.