Bukti Anwar Peliwat

Munawar fails again to clear name - 2009/08/13

PUTRAJAYA: It is the end of the road for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's former speechwriter Dr Munawar Ahmad Anees, who has battled for 11 years to clear his name of a sodomy charge.

A Court of Appeal panel, comprising Datuk Wira Low Hop Bing, Datuk Hasan Lah and Datuk Sulaiman Daud, yesterday unanimously dismissed his application on the grounds that the issues raised had been considered by the Federal Court.

Dr Munawar sought to have his appeal against conviction and a six-month jail sentence for sodomy remitted to the High Court.

The High Court, on Sept 9, 2003, struck out the appeal without hearing the merits of the case on the grounds that he had failed to appear at any of the proceedings, although his absence was explained by his counsel.

His attempt to reverse the decision was also turned down by the Court of Appeal on Oct 30, 2007.

Munawar then took the matter to the Federal Court for review, but was also unsuccessful as the apex court held that it did not have the power to hear the matter because the case originated from the subordinate court and its final appeal was at the appeals court.

Dr Munawar then filed a review application at the Court of Appeal.

The court struck out his appeal against the High Court's dismissal of two of his applications.

The two applications were for an order that the inspector-general of police and the director-general of prisons provide a detailed schedule of his movements during his detention and a copy of the schedule of all his visitors since his incarceration in 1998.

With the decision, the conviction against Dr Munawar, 61, who served six months in prison in 1998 after he pleaded guilty to allowing Anwar to sodomise him in Anwar's house in Jalan Setia Murni 1, Bukit Damansara, in March 1993, is affirmed.

Dr Munawar served his sentence but challenged the court's decision to clear his name, claiming that he was coerced into pleading guilty.

At yesterday's hearing, his counsel, Manjeet Singh Dhillon, urged the court to give Dr Munawar another opportunity to fight his case.

Deputy public prosecutor Awang Amardajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that Dr Munawar was seeking to re-litigate on an issue which had been deliberated on by the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. -- Bernama

To supporters of Keadilan or Anwar Berahim, open your eyes. Munawar already admitted that he allowed Anwar to sodomize him; it's a clear proof that Anwar is really Peliwat. Period.