Ex-officer claims senior-level conspiracy in Anwar's black eye

The former Malaysian police officer who investigated the infamous 1998 incident in which former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim suffered a black eye has broken ranks with the official version of events - and now claims that senior officials conspired to falsely claim the injuries were self-inflicted.

Former Criminal Investigation Department head Mat Zain Ibrahim said in an affidavit that Attorney General Abdul Ghani Patail and Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan conspired with a government doctor to fabricate a medical report in order to suggest the opposition icon injured himself to arouse sympathy.

The new version of events was lodged with the courts in response to a lawsuit launched by Mr Anwar, who is suing Mr Mat, Mr Ghani and Mr Musa for damages stemming from his treatment in 1998.

'I tried hard but failed to stop that report from being entered as part of my investigation papers,' Mr Mat said in his affidavit, filed in November but made public this week. Mr Ghani and Mr Musa deny the allegations.

Mr Mat said the fabricated report was the basis for former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's claim in December 1998 that Mr Anwar's injuries were self-inflicted.

Mr Ghani and Mr Musa were lead prosecutor and lead investigator respectively in Mr Anwar's first sodomy trial. He was initially convicted and sentenced to nine years in jail, but was acquitted on appeal in 2004.