Philip Dorling and Nick McKenzie
December 12, 2010
Trying times ... Anwar Ibrahim leaves court after appearing at his
sodomy trial in August. Photo:
Reuters
MALAYSIAN opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy charges are the
result of a ''set- up job'' which the politician ''walked into'',
according to an assessment by Australia's peak intelligence agency.
A leaked US state department cable reveals that Singaporean
intelligence officials told their Australian counterparts that Dr
Anwar engaged in the conduct for which he is accused, a claim he
has steadfastly denied.
Australia's Office of National Intelligence also states the conduct
was the result of entrapment by Dr Anwar's enemies.
The cable is one of several that deals with the highly explosive
private views of senior Singaporean officials, including claims
that:
>Malaysia is in a ''confused and dangerous'' state due
to its incompetent politicians;
>Thailand's political elite are dogged by
''corruption'' and the country's crown prince is ''very erratic and
easily subject to influence'';
>Japan and India were struggling to deal with China's
influence due to their ''stupid'' behaviour;
> and some Asian leaders wanted the junta to
retain power in Burma to ensure the country's stability.
The cable that deals with Dr Anwar's sodomy case, dated November
2008 and released exclusively to The
Sun-Herald by WikiLeaks, states: ''The Australians said
that Singapore's intelligences services and [Singaporean elder
statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA in their exchanges that
opposition leader Anwar 'did indeed commit the acts for which he is
currently indicted'.''
The document states the Singaporeans told ONA they made this
assessment on the basis of ''technical intelligence'', which is
likely to relate to intercepted communications.
The ONA is also recorded as saying that Dr Anwar's political
enemies engineered the circumstances from which the sodomy charges
arose.
''ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, 'it was
a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it
anyway','' the cable states.
Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and carries a jail sentence of up to
20 years.
Dr Anwar, a former Malaysian deputy prime minister, was jailed in
1999 on charges of corruption and sodomy after a falling out with
then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
He later had his sodomy conviction overturned and was freed from
jail in 2004.
In 2008 he was charged again with sodomy. Dr Anwar has maintained
the case against him is fabricated and trumped up by his political
enemies who fear his political resurgence.
The case against Dr Anwar has drawn widespread international
criticism and has included some bizarre twists. Earlier this year,
a prosecutor in the sodomy trial was dropped after she was accused
of having an affair with the star witness.
The witness, 25-year- old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, worked as
an aide in Dr Anwar's office. He has accused the 62-year-old of
sodomising him in an apartment in Malaysia.
Earlier this month, Australian politician Nick Xenophon travelled
to Malaysia to observe Dr Anwar's ongoing court proceedings, which
were adjourned.
In December 2009, a month after ONA's brief assessment of Dr
Anwar's case, the Malaysian criticised Kevin Rudd for not meeting
him during his visit to Australia. He accused Mr Rudd of appeasing
Malaysia's ''corrupt leaders'' by snubbing him.
''He [Mr Rudd] was too obsessed with interests of getting the two
countries together [and therefore] appease Malaysia's corrupt
leaders,'' Dr Anwar said at the time.
http://sgblogs.com/entry/wikileaks-anwar-sodomy-charges-says-singapore-intelligence-officials/391379
