SMS and phone calls have been flying around of imminent police action against Anwar Ibrahim.
I have spoken to Anwar over the phone and he is expecting the worst.
Malaysiakini had filed the following report two hours ago:
Aide alleges sodomy: Report lodged
Jun 28, 08 11:03pm
Updated June 29, 08 01.30 amA police report has been lodged against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim for allegedly sodomosing one of his aides – the second time that such an accusation had been made in over 10 years.
The report was lodged by the 23-year-old victim at the Jalan Travers police station at 6pm.
KL police chief DCP Muhammad Sabtu Osman has confirmed that the report had been made.
It is learnt that Anwar met with a number of party leaders at an emergency meeting late tonight.
At 11.15pm, PKR sent out an SMS message stating that the police had detained Anwar’s special aide Saiful Bahari this afternoon and forced him to lodge a police report about being sodomised by his boss.
It added that the police are expected to arrest Anwar soon.
Meanwhile, Anwar is expected to comment on this latest crisis at a pre-arranged press conference tomorrow.
The press conference is scheduled to be held after a meeting between Anwar and all PKR members of parliament and state assemblypersons.
Accused of sodomy in 1997
Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia, was sacked from the government in 1997 for allegedly being involved in sodomy and abuse of power.
In 1999, he was sentenced in a highly controversial trial to six years in prison for corruption, and in 2000, to another nine years for alleged homosexual acts.
However in 2004, the Federal Court – the country’s highest court – reversed the second conviction and he was released.
Anwar has always maintained that the charges were a government hatched political conspiracy against him, a move denied by the government.
‘A very serious situation’
Party sources said that Anwar was chairing a party supreme council meeting at a hotel in Shah Alam when he received an SMS at about 9pm on Saturday night about the police report lodged against him.
He apparently then told the party leaders that his aide Saiful had been missing for two days.
“He then received another SMS at about 9.30pm and his faced changed dramatically after reading that SMS,” said a party insider.
“He did not reveal the details of the SMS but merely said that the situation was very serious,” added the insider.
Anwar is said to have left the supreme council meeting to meet his lawyers until about 11pm.
The council however continued their meeting without Anwar.
Party leaders are saying that they have to be prepared for any eventuality.
Meanwhile at about 1am about 400 people hade gathered outside the hotel in Shah Alam to ensure that nothing happens to Anwar.