Court Ruling Clears Govt Of Baseless Accusations - Malaysian PM

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak said Monday's court ruling which acquitted Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge has seen the government cleared once and for all of the many baseless accusations of political interference and conspiracy against the leader of the opposition. "Monday's verdict shows once again that, despite what many have claimed, the Malaysian judiciary is an independent institution where neither politics nor politicians have any influence over the dispensation of justice," he said. Najib said this further strengthens the clear separation of powers of each branch of the Malaysian government, with neither branch interfering with the workings of the other. "As head of the executive branch, I respect the decisions of the other branch of government, the judiciary," the prime minister said in a statement issued after his return today from a visit to South Africa. The High Court Monday acquitted and discharged Anwar, 64, on a charge of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 26, in 2008. Najib noted that this case was brought by a private individual and it was important that he had his accusations heard in court. "Far from being a politically-motivated prosecution, it has been an unwelcome distraction from the serious business of running our country in the interests of the Malaysian people," he said. This had been the second sodomy charge faced by Anwar. On Aug 8, 2000, he was convicted and sentenced to nine years' jail after being found guilty by the High Court of sodomising driver Azizan Abu Bakar. However, four years later, he was freed after the Federal Court, in a 2-1 majority decision, overturned the conviction and set aside the jail sentence. -- BERNAMA