Lawyer: Bala may have conspired with Altantuya

Lawyer: Bala may have conspired with Altantuya

(The Sun) - Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu and private investigator P. Balasubramaniam may have conspired to blackmail Abdul Razak Baginda into parting with USD500,000 and purchasing three return tickets to Mongolia for herself and her two companions, Abdul Razak's lawyer Wong Kian Keong inferred today.

"Balasubramaniam’s lack of candour in respect of the deceased's alleged demand is understandable as his lengthy cross-examination raises a reasonable doubt over whether he had betrayed Abdul Razak’s trust by participating in a conspiracy with Altantuya and her companions Namiraa Gerelmaa, Uuriintuya Gal Ochir and the private eye appointed by Altantuya, Ang Chong Beng," he said.

Abdul Razak is charged with abetting police special action unit (UTK) personnel C/Insp Azilah Hadri and Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar in the murder of Altantuya at Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006.

Wong said Balasubramaniam's credibility was in question as under re-examination, the private investigator said he did not remember telling the police about the alleged demands which he had conveyed to Abdul Razak.

"Balasubramaniam agreed the demands were important but he could not remember if he had recorded the demands in his computer," he said.

Wong said when questioned, Balasubramaniam had said that he "felt" he had informed Abdul Razak about the alleged demand.

"This equivocal answer from Balasubramaniam clearly raises a reasonable doubt regarding the truth of his testimony on the alleged demand.

"Namiraa and Uuriintuya had testified in court that they and Altantuya all had return tickets to Mongolia, and it therefore did not make sense for the deceased to demand three more flight tickets to Mongolia," he said.

Furthermore, Balasubramaniam said he had informed Abdul Razak about Altantuya’s demands on Oct 19, 2006 - the day after Abdul Razak met with first accused Azilah, he said.

"As such, Abdul Razak could not have any motive to instigate Azilah to murder Altantuya because of her demands," he said.

Wong also submitted that Altantuya and her companions had been chummy with Balasubramaniam’s assistant Suras Kumar who visited them several times at their room in Hotel Malaya when they had the option of complaining to the hotel security or lodging a police report that he was harassing them.

Balasubramaniam.... conspire with Altantuya to blackmail Abdul Razak?

There were even marriage proposals between the two as mentioned in Altanyuya’s police report – "they asking me to pay money and asking to marry that Indian guy", while Balasubramaniam said Altantuya even wished him "Happy Deepavali" when she met him outside Abdul Razak’s home.

Wong also pointed out several instances when Altantuya had clearly lied based on evidence and testimonies in court.

Earlier in the morning, Wong brought up an SMS sent by Abdul Razak to Balasubramanian at 12.21 am on Oct 20 - the alleged time the murder took place - which reads: "Ok. They may turn up again. U said taxi man angry as he has not been paid?"

"This SMS sent is crucial as it clearly showed that on Oct 20, 2006 Abdul Razak did not abet in the murder and he was actually anxious that the deceased would return to harass him," he said.

Wong said the fact that Abdul Razak continued to engage the services of Balasubramaniam until Oct 26, 2006 also implies that he was unaware of the murder.

"The actual words of instigation have also not been proved in this case," he submitted.

In wrapping up his submissions, Wong asked the court to consider the roles of three witnesses who were not called by the prosecution – lawyer Dhiren Rene Norendra, DSP Musa Safri and Suras as their roles are essential to the unfolding of the prosecution's case. "There is a gap in the prosecution's case and such a gap cannot be filled merely by offering them to the defence," he said.

Wong submitted that the defence should not be called in the interest of justice for Abdul Razak and his family who have suffered overwhelmingly and who will have to pick up the pieces of their lives or anything that remains of it.

Earlier, citing a piece of paper seized from Azilah’s office bearing Abdul Razak’s home address, his father’s name and phone number, Wong said, "Assuming Abdul Razak had assisted Azilah to murder Altantuya, do you think he would be so stupid as to write down his address, father’s name and handphone number down for a police officer?"

This piece of evidence actually corroborates Abdul Razak’s affidavit concerning his request to patrol the vicinity of his home, he added.

Hearing continues on Monday.

Urgent Press Conference 3:00pm today (31.7.08)

Urgent Press Conference 3:00pm today (31.7.08)

We would like to inform that an urgent press conference will be held at 3:00pm today (July 31).

Party leader Anwar Ibrahim and President Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will address the press at the party's headquarters, Merchant Square, Tropicana, Petaling Jaya.

All press are invited, except Utusan Malaysia. Thank you.

Regards,

Ginie Lim
Media Coordinator
Information Bureau
Parti Keadilan Rakyat

Pusrawi Press Conference with a dose of Lingam?

Hospital: It wasn’t sodomy-related
Andrew Ong & Tarani Palani
July 30, 08

Hospital Pusrawi said today that its medical officer Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid did not conduct a sodomy-related examination on Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

MCPX

The hospital revealed that Mohamed Osman, a Burmese national, is not a specialist but only a general practitioner stationed at the Emergency Unit.

In a five-paragraph statement distributed to reporters, the hospital’s general manager Wan Mahmood Wan Yaacob also said that it has not released any official reports pertaining to the case.

Also present was hospital’s medical director Kamaruddin Ahmad.

After examining Saiful, Wan Mahmood said, the doctor advised the patient to undergo an examination by a specialist at a government hospital.

“There were no further examinations carried out (on Saiful at Pusrawi) in relation to the sodomy complaint,” he added.

Kamaruddin said the doctor who examined Saiful was not a specialist.

“He is not qualified to make any conclusions on sodomy,” he said.

Wan Mahmood added that the examination was related to Saiful’s complaint of having pain in the anus when passing motion.

According to the leaked medical report, Saiful has apparently told the doctor he was allegedly assaulted with a piece of plastic being inserted into his anus.

Hospital Pusrawi was thrust into the limelight following media reports on the findings of the doctor who examined Saiful on June 28, hours before he filed a police report accusing opposition stalwart Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him.

In his report, the doctor allegedly found no evidence of sodomy.

Looks same, content same too

Quizzed on the authenticity of the report leaked to the media, Wan Mahmud replied: “(It) looks the same, contents are the same.”

“It looks genuine,” added Kamaruddin.

Kamaruddin also said that efforts to contact Mohamed has failed as he was on leave and was expected to be back next Monday.

He revealed that he last spoke to Mohamed two weeks ago. He also added that they had discussed about the the police questioning Mohamed.

“He was not detained by the police and the police were nice to him,” he stressed.

Both Wan Mahmood (photo, right) and Kamaruddin (photo, left) had no doubts on Mohamed’s credibility as a doctor, and added that he was a “good” doctor.

Below are excerpts from the question-and-answer session with Wan Mahmood and Kamaruddin:

Q : Are the reports circulating in the net false?

Doctor (Mohamed Osman) did not conduct a thorough check-up (for sodomy) - that’s under house rules. We have yet to verify the contents of the medical report. We have established an internal investigation group to verify if the contents of the original report are similar with the one that has been circulating around. We deny that Pusrawi has issued the report to any party.

Where is Dr Mohamed Osman now? Are you in contact with him?

Dr Mohamed Osman, he is on leave. No, not at the moment. We don’t know where he is.

Do you know why he went on leave? When did he go on leave?

On Friday.

As your press release states that the doctor did not perform a check-up for sodomy, what check up did he conduct? Did the doctor have a look at Saiful’s anus?

Saiful complained of anus pains so we did what is standard procedure.

(Did Saiful complain of) tummy ache or anus pain?

First, he complaint of tummy ache then he said that he had some pain in his anus.

In the report, it is stated that Saiful had not experienced any bleeding in his stool.

I am not sure of that.

How was the circulating report leaked? What actions will be taken?

That is what we are investigating now. God willing, we will find out how the report was leaked. Appropriate action will be taken. We will consult with our legal team on the next course of action.

The investigation is set up first to see if the leaked report is the same as the original and secondly, we would investigate who possibly could have leaked it.

If you have not been in contact with the doctor, how do you know that the doctor did not conduct a medical check-up for sodomy?

We based our decision on the medical report he wrote.

So are there two different reports? Are they (the report that is circulating) the same (as the original)?

It is the same report.

You do have the original report, so is it (the copy that is circulating) the genuine report?

I cannot say if it is the genuine unless someone confirms, the committee. Maybe, maybe not. It looks the same but it is not the original copy, that is with me.

Looks the same but it is not the same because we have the original copy.

So the report that was leaked is not from Pusrawi? Even if the letterhead is the same?

Yes, we deny that (leaking it). Not officially from us.

Are the contents the same? It is the original copy from Pusrawi?

Yes.

Did you talk to the doctor before he went on leave? When was the last time you spoke to him? What did you speak to him about?

I can’t remember, maybe two weeks ago. We just spoke about what happened about the Saiful’s case. The police questioning him (Dr Mohamed Osman).The police were nice to him.

Did Dr Mohamed Osman check Saiful?

The doctor’s name is on the report.

When will you get the results of the (internal) investigation?

I think in about a week.

Is there a more detailed report than the one that is circulating?

None, I don’t think so.

But there were no signs of sodomy.

The doctor advised the patient to go to a government hospital, HKL.

‘TRO sodomy’ was written in the medical report’s in bracket, does that mean sodomy had occurred?

I am not sure what is written in the bracket.

Can you tell us a little about the doctor? His credentials?

He is qualified. He has been in Malaysia for 10 years. He has been with us since January.

He (Saiful) was not examined for sodomy, but (how come) the doctor said that there was no signs of sodomy.

He came complaining of pain in the anus, so that’s a part of the routine, you look for pus, bleeding.

How is this different from an actual sodomy check-up?

He came complaining of anus pain not complaining of sodomy. So the doctor performed a check-up for anus pain not sodomy.

What led the doctor TRO (to rule out) sodomy? Why?

Because Saiful mentioned that he was sodomised. Sodomy check-up has to be done by a specialist not a medical officer. You need a gut specialist. We don’t have one in Pusrawi.

Does that mean that Dr Mohamed Osman is not qualified to make any conclusions?

He is not qualified to make any statements, any conclusions (with regards to sodomy).

Does the hospital stand by the medical report signed by Dr Mohamed?

I have not seen the report anyway.

You have spoken to Dr Mohamed who has confirmed that he examined Saiful and confirmed that he has signed this medical report, why is the hospital still not convinced that it is the genuine medical report? Why is it taking so long to match the copy with the original copy?

We just realised this. When? Two days ago. It is just like VK Lingam said, “It looks like me, sounds like me but it is not me”.

Have you been in contact with him?

No.

How is the medical check-up for sodomy issued? Is it just an external check-up or an internal check-up?

I can’t answer that, I am not an expert on that division. We usually advice these police cases to go to general hospitals.

You are not disputing whether the medical report is real. You are disputing if Dr Mohamed has the qualifications to ascertain that (sodomy had occurred). Basically you are discrediting your own medical staff?

No, but not when concerning this case. Is he suspended? No, he is on leave.

When is he expected to come back?

He is to return to work on Monday. He joined us in January 2008. We have tried but we cannot reach him, he is not contactable.

Do you think he’ll be back?

He is a good doctor but his examination is not conducive on sodomy.

If the contents of the reports are the same are you acknowledging that the report could have been from Pusrawi?

It could have been. It is the same.

There are two different writing on the medical report.

Yes, there are two different. The patient arrived to see a doctor, and he meet with a female doctor first. After he complained of his anus pain, than he was passed on to a male doctor (Dr Mohamed).

Was that person who leaked (the report) paid?

Anything is possible.

Is this the first time Saiful has seek medical check-up at Pusrawi?

Yes, it was his first time according to our reports.

Is Pusrawi’s ethics been compromised?

We can give assurance that our ethics are protected but this is a high-profile case.

He sold 7.5cm of his liver and "life is better now"

He sold 7.5cm of his liver and "life is better now" Jul 29, 2008 The Straits Times BY: Mavis Toh

Mr Salimudin, pictured with his family here, says life is better now.

He still thinks he had sold 7.5cm of his heart, but it was actually his liver he had parted with.

But whichever organ it was, Mr Salimudin, 27, does not mind.

The sale made him richer by 300 million rupiah (S$44,600) and he is now the proud owner of a 5,000 sq m palm tree plantation.

'I have my own plantation now, life is better,' he said.

The Sunday Times spoke to Mr Salimudin at his house in Kampong Tanah Putus, Galang, last Monday. It is a single-storey zinc-roofed structure with cement floors, simply furnished with a TV set.

In 2002, the then 21-year-old was jailed for three months for a series of housebreaking crimes in his hometown, Galang.

Two weeks after he was released from prison, he was approached by a group of men from Medan looking for organ donors.

They said they worked for a man who owned a fabric company in Medan, and asked him to help them recruit people who would donate their organs.

When he could not find a suitable donor among his family and friends, he volunteered himself.

The then bachelor was broke and without a job.

When asked which organ he sold, Mr Salimudin pointed to his chest and said in Bahasa Indonesia: 'Heart.'

He then dug out two photographs which he got from the doctor who did the operation in Singapore. They show the organ - his liver, actually - that was taken, which measured about 7.5cm in length.

The Sunday Times later contacted the doctor who performed the surgery, Dr Tan Kai Chah. Better known as Dr K.C. Tan, he had performed actress Andrea De Cruz's liver transplant here in 2002.

He confirmed that Mr Salimudin had donated a part of his liver in 2002. In fact, it was one of the early adult living donor liver transplants performed in Singapore, he said.

Mr Salimudin's offer was quickly taken up by the men and he was sent for tests at the Rumah Sakit Gleneagles in Medan. His blood, type B, matched that of a patient who was looking for a liver transplant.

In June 2002, without his parents' knowledge, he was flown to Singapore for the operation at the Gleneagles Hospital.

He said he was told to say that the recipient of his liver, an Indonesian man he knows only as Mr Samsul, was his uncle.

'We went to the Indonesian Embassy and declared that Samsul was my uncle.'

At the hospital later, in front of about 10 doctors and medical professionals, Mr Salimudin made the same declaration. That was the first time he met Mr Samsul, then 67.

When asked about the case, Dr Tan said in an e-mail reply: 'On June 15, 2002, Salimudin donated part of his liver to his uncle from Medan.' He declined further comment on the case, citing patient confidentiality.

According to Mr Salimudin, he was coached by a Singaporean middleman called 'Chin Chin' on how to behave in front of the officials.

Chin Chin, he said, was a short, bespectacled Chinese man, about 45 years old and who speaks Malay.

He added: 'He taught me what to say to all the doctors and he took care of me while I was in Singapore.'

After the operation, Mr Samsul spent three months in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Gleneagles Hospital. Mr Salimudin was out of the ICU in three days and stayed in a normal ward for four nights.

When he was discharged, Chin Chin checked him into a room at the Mandarin Hotel in Orchard Road, where he stayed for a month to recuperate.

'I had bags of medicine with me at the hotel and I went back to Gleneagles for a check-up during the month,' he said.

After that, he was flown home to Galang and returned to Singapore two months later for a check-up - all paid for by Mr Samsul. He stayed at the ANA Hotel in Nassim Hill for a week.

'The first few weeks after the operation, I got tired easily,' said Mr Salimudin. 'But now, I am fit and I can run and work, no problem.'

He added that he went back to smoking just three months after his operation.

According to Dr Tan, liver donors face a 0.1 per cent to 0.3 per cent chance of death and a 15 per cent chance of complications such as pain, bleeding and infection.

'Fortunately, most of the young donors will recover and be back to their normal vocations and hobbies within two to three months,' he said.

Today, Mr Salimudin is healthy and married with two young sons. The well-built man was cheerful and friendly, and smoked at least five cigarettes during the hour-long interview.

He is also a businessman. With the 300 million rupiah he got - a sum labourers in Galang would take decades to earn - he bought the palm tree plantation.

'My friends see what I have and they also want to sell their organs,' he said.

He added that whenever there is a need for organs, the 'people from Medan' still descend onto the kampungs of Galang to seek out potential donors.

He sometimes introduces his friends to them. 'They are a little scared and unsure, but they still want to sell,' he said. 'Usually their kidneys.'

He claims to have no regrets in selling his organ, which he still thinks is his heart.

When asked if he would consider selling his kidney, he smiled and said: 'I'll think about it.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 27, 2008.

Child sex clip shocker for parents

Child sex clip shocker for parents

Thu, Jul 31, 2008 The Star

A WIDESPEAD videoclip, purportedly showing two children engaging in sexual acts, has caused shock and concern among parents, reported Harian Metro.

The 30-minute clip titled "Budak-Budak Pun Dah Pandai Sekarang (Even Children Are Well Informed Now)" has been circulating on the Internet and via mobile phones.

A boy and a girl - believed to be around eight years of age - are seen in the clip stripping off their clothes and kissing each other, the paper reported.

Their acts are believed to have taken place on top of an abandoned building, where it was filmed.

The Malay daily in its front-page story, however, said it could not be ascertained if the children were locals.

The clip was made known after several concerned parents called the newspaper expressing their worries.

Cheerful people die young?

Pick your own illness

Wed, Jul 30, 2008 NST

By Roger Dobson

IT has long been reported that people with so called Type A personalities - hostile, highly competitive and impatient - are more prone to heart problems.

But now researchers are increasingly finding that a wider range of personalities and traits are linked to a host of medical problems, from stomach ulcers and viral infections to Parkinson's disease.

When it comes to forming our personalities, it's increasingly accepted that early life experience plays a key role. Most human traits are also linked to genes, says Dr Dean Hamer of the US National Cancer Institute, a world authority on the subject. For instance, neurotic behaviour is associated with the serotonin gene, or 5-HTTLPR.

How personality then triggers increased vulnerability or resistance to disease is unknown, although there are various theories. Here, we look at the personalities and their ailments - and what the scientists believe is going on.
Impulsive

You might expect impulsive types to be at risk from accidents but, in fact, their big health danger is stomach ulcers. Researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health studied more than 4,000 people and found that those who had an impulsive personality were 2.4 times more at risk.

It's thought that impulsive people tend to respond to stress with higher than normal rates of acid production, triggering peptic ulcers.

Research at the University of Wales has also shown that impulsiveness is associated with poorer control over eating.

Cheerful

One of the most surprising findings is that cheerful people are more likely to die early.

"Children who were rated by their parents and teachers as more cheerful, and as having a sense of humour, died earlier in adulthood than those who were less cheerful," say University of California researchers. "Contrary to expectation, cheerfulness and sense of humour were inversely related to longevity."

One theory is that cheerful people underestimate life's dangers and may also be more likely to have difficulty coping when things don't go as anticipated.

Anxious

People with anxiety disorders are three times more likely to be treated for high blood pressure. A study from Northern Arizona University found stress hormones may be the reason.

Meanwhile, women with phobic anxieties, such as fear of heights, were at higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Although behavioural differences - like a greater tendency to smoke among people with anxiety - go some way to explaining why this happens, they do not explain it all.

Here is something else to worry about: a University of Antwerp study found that within 10 years of heart treatment, 27 per cent of anxious types were dead, compared to seven per cent of others.

Aggressive

Hostile types are prone to a range of serious health conditions, and there is plenty of research to back this up.

People who suffer from artherosclerosis - furred up arteries - are more likely to have hostile personalities, according to a Scottish study based on almost 2,000 men and women.

An American study showed that aggressive types are at greater risk of chronic inflammation throughout the body, which is linked to a number of diseases including heart disease (inflammation is involved in the build-up of fatty deposits in the inner lining of the arteries).

This could be because this personality type has higher levels of an immune system protein linked to inflammation.

Another theory is that hostile people respond more quickly and strongly to stress, both mentally and physiologically, increasing blood pressure and heart rate which results in more wear and tear on the cardiovascular system.

Angry types also take longer to heal. Researchers at Ohio State University created small wounds on the arms of healthy people, and after four days, only 30 per cent of the angry patients- wounds had healed, compared with 70 per cent of placid patients.

Aggressive types are also at higher risk for recurrent bouts of severe depression, according to another American study.

Shy

Socially-inhibited people are more vulnerable to viral infections, suggests research from the University of California.

In animal studies, scientists found that gregarious types had more active protective lymph nodes than shy types. Lymph nodes are part of the body's immune system and help to destroy infectious germs, such as viruses like the common cold virus and bacteria.

Optimistic

People who always look on the bright side live, on average, 7.5 years longer than those who take a gloomier view, according to work at the University of California.

And the risk of dying early from any disease is 55 per cent lower for optimists, say researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands who followed 1,000 people.

One theory is that optimism may increase the will to live, while another is that greater sociability plays a role; these in turn may lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh say that optimism boosts the immune system and protects from psychological stress.

An American study showed that over a 30-year period, optimists had fewer disabilities and less chronic pain.

Tight-lipped

Distressed types (also known as Type D personalities) suffer from a high degree of emotional suffering, but consciously suppress their feelings - and as a result may be at higher risk of cancer and heart disease. And once Type Ds develop coronary artery disease, they are at greater risk of dying, according to a Harvard University study.

The authors suggest that these people have poorly regulated stress hormones, meaning their hearts beat faster, blood pressure rises and blood vessels tighten - all bad for the cardiovascular system. Such types may also have more active immune systems, and therefore more inflammation, which results in damage to blood vessels.

This story was first published in the New Straits Times on July 28, 2008.

Text messages link MCA's Wee in 'sex scandal'

Text messages link MCA's Wee in 'sex scandal'

Thu, Jul 31, 2008 The New Straits Times

JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA: Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong is being dragged into a "sex scandal".

He is alleged to have been involved with a student from China whom he helped to settle a problem several years ago.

Text messages via the short messaging system (SMS) have been circulating over more than a week, predicting that Wee would be forced to resign his government and MCA posts under the same circumstances which forced out former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Dr Chua gave up all his posts early this year when a VCD of him having sex with a woman in a hotel surfaced.

Wee, who is the MCA Youth secretary-general, lodged a report at the Central police station on Friday, after learning that the text messages had been circulating since July 22.
One of the messages read: "To whom it may concern: Countdown 90 days. Dr Wee Ka Siong will resign from all the posts by 20 Oct 2008 just as Dr Chua."

Wee said the text message was a clear attempt to tarnish his image, and was initiated to coincide with the run-up to the MCA's divisional elections last week.

Wee, who won the Johor Baru MCA division chief post uncontested on Sunday, is now eyeing either the Youth chief post or even a vice-president's post in MCA.

He claimed he knew the person who initiated the circulation of the text message.

"I am not afraid of this person who is clearly out to tarnish my image. There has been some bad blood between this person and me since my days as chief of the Johor Baru MCA public complaints bureau."

Wee said Datuk Michael Chong, head of the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department, had in 2002 asked him to help a student from China who had allegedly been swindled of RM100,000.

She had given the man the money to help her further her studies here.

"I organised a press conference on behalf of the student and I believe this person has been nursing a grudge against me since that incident."

He added that the person who initiated the "vicious SMS" had also lodged a police report against him and Chong alleging defamation after the media had highlighted the case.

"Let it be known to the public as I am sure of my innocence."

When contacted, Chong said he remembered the case.

He said the man, posing as a Mara education agent, duped the girl into paying RM100,000 to study in a college in Johor.

"The girl came to Malaysia, only to find that her offer letter turned out to be a fake," he said.

Chong said the case was forwarded to Wee because he was the party's Education Bureau chief and also in charge of public complaints in Johor.

"As far as I remember, the case was settled and the girl returned safely to China with some compensation," he said.

Johor Baru district police chief ACP Zainuddin Yaacob confirmed the police report but declined to disclose the details of the investigations.

It was learnt that police had recorded the statement of the person who Wee alleged is the one who started the text message. He is believed to be the founder and chief executive of a Chinese education group based here.

Malaysia hospital says doctor in Anwar case unqualified

Wed Jul 30, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A private Malaysian doctor who examined a former aide to opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim following allegations of sodomy was not qualified to conduct such a check, his employer said on Wednesday.

Private hospital Pusrawi said Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who alleged that he was sodomized by Anwar, had turned up at its facility complaining of a pain in his anus.

But the doctor who inspected him was a general practitioner and not a specialist, Kamaruddin Ahmad, the hospital's medical director said.

"A sodomy check-up must be by a specialist, not a medical officer," Kamaruddin told reporters. "He is not qualified to make any conclusions."

Anwar had produced a copy of the Pusrawi report on Tuesday which he said showed that Saiful had not been sodomized, citing it as proof that the accusation by his former aide was a political plot to ruin him and scuttle the opposition's rise.

Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.

Hospital director Kamaruddin said the doctor who examined Saiful had advised him to obtain a further examination by a specialist in a government hospital.

Police and the Health Ministry have said that Saiful was examined by a government hospital doctor on June 28 but the contents of the report have not been disclosed. It is not clear whether Saiful went to the government hospital or Pusrawi first.

Saiful stuck by his allegation on Wednesday.

"There is no reason for me to slander and victimize Anwar Ibrahim in this case," he said in a statement read out by his lawyer.

Police have not pressed charges against Anwar in a criminal case that pits a former deputy premier against a government struggling to stem a slide in public support since a disastrous showing in a March poll.

Anwar's opposition alliance needs just 30 more seats to win a simple majority and form the government. It won a record 82 seats in the 222-seat lower house of parliament in the March general election.