Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today denied having engaged ex-KFC businessman Ishak Ismail as his "agent" to offer RM100 million to current Foreign Minister Anifah Aman to jump ship in order to form a new government in September 2008.

Taking the witness stand exactly a week after being imprisoned, he said the allegation by Anifah that Ishak made the offer on behalf of him was "absurd, malicious and nasty".

"This is a very absurd proposition. I knew him (Ishak) during my days as a minister but have not been close to him since 1998 ," he said during cross examination by defence counsel Shafee Abdullah in Anwar's RM 100 million defamation suit against Anifah.

This is the last day of trial and a decision is expected on June 5.

To a question from Shafee, Anwar said he did not feel there was any "necessity" to contact Ishak and verify with the businessman himself, if such an offer had been made to Anifah in 2008.

"There is no necessity because Ishak had issued a very strong public statement denying this matter, and he had challenged the minister to repeat these claims outside the court so that he can take legal action.

"But the minister, to date, has not repeated these (claims) outside the court," he added.

‘Only met Ishak once in 2004'

He said that he had only met Ishak once after his sacking as deputy prime minister, which was in 2004 in Munich, following an operation Anwar underwent there.

"Would you agree that Ishak is a crony of yours?" Shafee asked.

"The minister must be familiar with the crony system, but it doesn't apply to everyone," Anwar answered.

Shafee then suggested that Anwar’s decision not to contact Ishak to verify Anifah's claims meant that Anifah's allegations were true, but this was refuted by Anwar.

"That is an absurd proposition," he retorted.

Anwar was represented by lawyer Razlan Hadri Zulkifli, while Justice Siti Khadijah Badjenid presided over the case.