FAC News - Wednesday, March 26, 2003 9:41 PM

Day three of the Anwar Ibrahim Appeal Hearing:

“Ummi Hafilda is a prostitute,” said Aziz Samsuddin

Day three of Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal hearing at the Kuala Lumpur Appeal Court hit a high note today when Christopher Fernando, Anwar’s lead counsel, read out transcripts of the previous trial that quoted Aziz Samsuddin as saying Ummi Hafilda Ali is a prostitute.

Fernando started by recapping yesterday’s proceeding where he had told the court Ummi had been disowned by the father after she confessed to writing the letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, accusing Anwar of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, one-time driver of Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Ummi’s father, a religious teacher, just before he died, wrote an open letter to the Harakah detailing the reasons he had disowned her and, in no uncertain terms, implicated her as the prime mover behind Azizan.

“Ummi’s father died broken-hearted without ever forgiving his daughter for the role she played in framing Anwar of sodomy charges,” related Fernando.

Yesterday, Fernando read out Azmin Ali’s (Ummi’s brother) testimony in court that proved she played an active role in the whole conspiracy.

The prosecution never called her to testify in court to rebut this allegation, added Fernando. Instead they expected the defence to call her. The judge, in fact, even mentioned this point in his written judgment.

“But Ummi would have been a hostile witness so it should have been up to the prosecution and not the defence to call her,” argued Fernando.

Fernando said that the court should have invoked Section 114 (g) of the Evidence Act on the prosecution for failing to call a most crucial witness to testify in court.

Fernando then took the court through the testimony of Raja Kamaruddin Raja Wahid, a.k.a Raja Komando, who had, in fine detail, revealed how the conspiracy against Anwar originally unfolded and the role he was given in this whole conspiracy.

“The evidence of this witness will show he was invited to join the conspiracy with a view to topple the Deputy Prime Minister,” said Fernando.

“The meeting was held in the office of Aziz Samsuddin, the Prime Minister’s Political Secretary, on 26 June 1998.”

In the meeting, revealed Fernando, Aziz confirmed that Ummi and Azizan would pose no problem as “Ummi is a prostitute”.

Raja Komando then asked Aziz whether there was any other way to bring Anwar down.

According to Raja Komando, “Aziz replied sodomy would be the best way. Other ways would have no affect.”

“Raja Komando’s role was to manage the political assassination part of the exercise,” added Fernando. “The sodomy allegation was assigned to Ummi and Azizan.”

“Raja Komando was to disseminate the allegation as far and wide as possible. He was also to spread word that Anwar is a CIA agent.”

From what Fernando told the court today, it was clearly established in the meeting Raja Komando had with Aziz Samsuddin that he (Aziz) was the Chief Conspirator and that, while Ummi had written the purported “Azizan” letter to the Prime Minister accusing Anwar of sodomy, Aziz was the one who had edited and redrafted it.

The letter, Fernando said, was based on the book “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be PM” - which somehow found its way into the attaché bags of almost 2,000 delegates at the Umno General Assembly that year.

“The judge did not give this evidence the weight it deserved,” argued Fernando. “He erred, grossly.”

“If he had given the evidence the weight it deserved, would he have arrived at the judgment he did?”