> Gag Order lifted

The defence team in the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial wants the Sessions Court to lift the order restraining the media from reporting the contents of exhibits in connection with Anwar's "black-eye" incident.

Anwar's lead counsel Sulaiman Abdullah said the media should not be gagged because the contents were read out in open court, thus rendering Anwar's affidavit containing the contents of the exhibits a public document.

Anwar had filed the affidavit to support his application opposing the prosecution's bid to transfer his case to the High Court.

He had questioned the validity of the transfer certificate signed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail when under an Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) investigation following a police report lodged against him by Anwar over fabrication of evidence.

Sulaiman argued before Judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah that the three exhibits -- two statements of claim respectively filed by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the then investigation officer in the 1998 Anwar case Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim and newspaper reports on that incident -- had been read out in open court.

"The two statements of claim were filed in the Kuala Lumpur High Court and they become public documents and they could be published. The public has the right to know what had happened in court," Sulaiman said.

Anwar had suffered a black eye in 1998 after he was allegedly punched in the eye by former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor in the lock-up in Bukit Aman.

Yesterday, Komathy allowed the prosecution's application to issue an order to restrain the media from reporting the contents of the exhibits.

The exhibits in question comprise newspaper reports and two statements of claim relating to Abdul Gani's alleged abuse of power in 1998.

Head of the prosecution unit in the Attorney-General's Chambers Datuk Mohamed Yusof Zainal Abiden had told the court that the publication of the exhibits by the media would further damage the reputation of Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

Hearing continues in the afternoon - Bernama.