Karpal wanted as witness in Anwar's defamation suit

Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is to apply to subpoena Azizan Abu Bakar, Umi Hafilda Ali and Karpal Singh to give evidence in a defamation suit against his client S Nallakaruppan.

Shafee (right in picture) told reporters Nallakaruppan instructed him to call the three people as witnesses in Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's RM100 million defamation suit against the Malaysian United Indian Party president.

"The calling of the three, including Karpal, is to corroborate testimony (in the Sodomy I trial against Anwar) given by Azizan and Umi Hafilda, who allegedly met with Karpal in 1997.

“Karpal's testimony would be supportive or corroborative to Azizan's allegation, made before Anwar left the post (as deputy prime minister)," Shafee said.

"Karpal brought this issue up in Parliament, at least twice in 1997, asking Anwar to clarify and answer the allegations raised by the two. The issue in calling Karpal is to test the credibility of Azizan in making the allegation and therefore, it would be useful to call him as a witness," he added.

'This is stated in the Hansard'

Shafee said this was stated in Parliament's Hansard, and as Karpal is a respected parliamentarian, he should come to court to verify the claims he made.

Speaking to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur court complex of Jalan Duta, Shafee said Umi Hafilda (extreme right in picture) and Azizan were arrested by the police, and the calling of Karpal was to verify what Azizan or Umi Hafilda would testify.

“Azizan has alleged what Sodomy I is all about. Azizan disclosed this to Karpal and the senior DAP leader had then asked Anwar in Parliament to address the issue as Anwar then was deputy prime minister, that he could not take this lightly and should clear his name,” said the lawyer.

Anwar is suing Nallakaruppan, who was his former tennis partner, and Utusan Malaysia for the MUIP president's remarks about the PKR de facto leader's alleged sexual orientation.

Anwar, in naming Nallakaruppan, Utusan and its group editor-in-chief Abdul Aziz Ishak in his statement of claim dated March 26, 2012, had said the article contained libellous words and the accusations made were false and baseless and published with malicious intent. 

Anwar: Allegations deliberate to discredit me

The Permatang Pauh MP claimed the allegations were deliberately created to discredit him and tarnish his reputation as  opposition leader and as a politician.

Anwar claimed that he had sent a letter of demand through his lawyers to all the defendants to withdraw the libellous words but they failed to do so.

He is claiming RM100 million in general, aggravated and exemplary damages.

Shafee said according to the Parliament Hansard, Karpal had urged Anwar to sue Azizan if what the former driver to Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had alleged was wrong, so that the people would know who was telling the truth.

“All this is stated in the Hansard dated Oct 2, 1997 and Dec 18, 1997. There was a debate in Parliament and Anwar was in one of the two sessions,” he said.

Shafee said this was stated in 1997 when Azizan met Karpal and it was therefore important for the DAP chairperson to come out in the clear about this, since he was not an ordinary person but a respected parliamentarian.

“If Karpal says (in Parliament) that he is quite convinced with the statutory declaration drawn up by Azizan and feels that this is not merely a poison pen letter, then it is clear that Karpal had interviewed Azizan. We are calling Karpal to support the credibility of Umi Hafilda and Azizan,” he said.

Shafee said the case management on the matter would be held on April 24 before judicial commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, pending a Court of Appeal decision on April 18 as both sides (Anwar and Nallakaruppan) had appealed on matters related to certain parts of Nallakaruppan's defence.

The outcome of the case management will determine when  the actual trial begins, said Shafee.

He believes Karpal's testimony would help Nallakaruppan's defence as what made them (Azizan and Umi Hafilda) to see Karpal was important because the police at that time were not listening to the two.

“Which three of them is telling the truth will become apparent when all of them are called as witnesses. Azizan will be a serious witness as he will relate what happened in Sodomy I,” said the senior lawyer, adding that Nallakaruppan would call seven witness for his defence, including Karpal.

This case had also raised speculation of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali's wife, Shamsidar Taharin, being called as a witness, which Anwar's lawyers denied, culminating in some of the mainstream media labelling the Jan 12 'People's Uprising Rally' as 'Perhimpunan Shamsidar'.