Anwar's lawyers rubbish ex-aide's charge

By Rahmah Ghazali - The Malaysia Today

UPDATED PETALING JAYA: Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers have dismissed the claim by the opposition leader's former aide Rahimi Osman that he was forced to lie in two statutory declarations on the sodomy case.

Speaking to reporters at the PKR headquarters here today, Latheefa Koya, who is also PKR information chief, said Rahimi had “voluntarily” come forward to assist Anwar.

She also claimed that Rahimi's allegation that the statutory declarations were amended to include the names of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor without his consent was "completely untrue and without credibility”.

"This is because in his own statement given to the police on July 23, 2008, he confirmed that he knew Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan (Anwar's accuser) and had met Najib and Rosmah.

"He also told the police that he himself was taken by Mumtaz Jaafar, a close friend of Rosmah to meet her and also Najib. Rahimi shared this information with us after his interview with the police.

“He also told the police about his meeting with (former PKR Youth chief) Ezam Mohd Noor and one (senior police officer) SAC Rodwan," she added.

Latheefa also rubbished the allegation that the lawyers had confined Rahimi in Quality Hotel, describing it as "ludicrous and totally untrue".

"He was there on his own free will at all times and volunteering information to assist us with Anwar's case," she said, adding that he continued to come over to the party headquarters for various reasons, including participating in the party's campaigns during by-elections.

She also questioned the timing of Rahimi's relevation, dismissing it as "absurd".

"I find it absurd that all of a sudden, after more than two and a half years, and despite the fact that these declarations were never used in court and therefore is a non-issue, it is now being alleged that they (declarations) have been made involuntarily," she said.

Another lawyer, Saiful Izham Ramli, who was also implicated in Rahimi's police report yesterday, claimed that Rahimi had "volunteered to help Anwar to give statements regarding Saiful's accusation against him as he (Rahimi) was close to the latter".

Sivarasa: Classic offence of perjury

PKR vice-president S Sivarasa also said that Rahimi's act was a "classic offence of perjury" now that his new statutory declaration contradicted with what he said in the police statement two years ago.

"He said that he has done a new statutory declaration to state that the earlier declarations are false... this is perjury which is a serious criminal offence," he said.

Yesterday, Rahimi claimed that he signed the documents because he feared for his safety at the time because he was surrounded by Anwar's supporters and his "right-hand men" in Quality Hotel in Shah Alam where a party leadership seminar was held.

In a police report he lodged yesterday, Rahimi also alleged that both Latheefa and Saiful Izham forced him to stay at the hotel, and compelled him to sign the documents when he did not agree with the contents at all.

Rahimi stated that in his first statutory declaration signed on June 28, he had "accused" Najib and Rosmah of conspiring against Anwar.

24-hour apology

Meanwhile, lawyer N Surendran said they would send a letter of demand to Rahimi for "defamation as soon as possible". The letter would seek an apology "within 24 hours".

"His allegations are outrages, malicious and a total lie, so without a doubt legal proceedings will commence against Rahimi for defamation.

"I think we will be issuing a letter of demand to Rahimi to withdraw his remark and apologise, failing which proceedings will be filed," he said.