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November 09 , 1998 21:04PM 
 
ANWAR'S TRIAL TOLD OF ROLES PLAYED BY PERSONALITIES 
 
Umi Hafilda 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The High Court here was today told of the roles played by some of the personalities whose names were mentioned in the retraction letters written to clear Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Outgoing Special Branch director Mohamed Said Awang said the retraction letters of Azizan Abu Bakar and Ummi Hafilda Ali contained the names of personalities such as Dr Ristina Majid, Mohamed Taib Salamon, B.K.Tan, Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin and Norzila Jalil. 

He said that in Azizan's letter, it was stated that Dr Ristina played a role in this case as Ummi Hafilda and Azizan, Anwar's former driver, were arrested in her house, while Mohamed Taib was the alleged Special Branch impersonator. 

"I'm sure about Mohamed Taib but I don't know about Tan. He was supposed to follow Mohamed Taib," Mohamed Said said under cross-examination by Gurbachan Singh, one of Anwar's nine counsel. 

Today is the sixth day of the trial of Anwar charged with four counts of corrupt practice by using his position to interfere in police investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct against him. 

Mohamed Said confirmed that Mohamed Taib was a former Special Branch officer who was dismissed from the force before August last year. 

Asked whether Azizan's admission in the letter was of his own free will, he said: "Yes, I agree but it was after our turning over operation." 

The letter also mentioned Aziz, whom Mohamed Said said he knew only as one of the prime minister's secretaries. 

Ummi Hafilda's letter mentioned Norzila Jalil, the second wife of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Megat Junid Megat Ayob, as "her good friend" and to whom she passed the letter containing the allegations against Anwar and who subsequently passed it to her husband, who in turn gave it to Tun Daim Zainuddin. 

Gurbachan Singh: This is the role of the personalities as stated in the letter? 

Mohamed Said: Yes 

Gurbachan Singh: Did the Special Branch conduct an investigation on the roles of these personalities, especially that of Megat Junid and Tun Daim? 

Mohamed Said: We have the intelligence on this. 

Mohamed Said said they also knew of the role played by Dr Ristina in arranging the meeting between Mohamed Taib and Tan with Aziz. 

To another question on whether Azizan's letter contained a sentence which confirmed that the writer's motive was to "frame up" or "fix up" Anwar, he said: "Yes, there is a sentence to that effect."-- BERNAMA  

 
 


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