Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim says police probe into list of backers for PM bid ‘malicious’

Malaysian police are investigating the distribution of his list of 121 MPs he says support his bid to take over from prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin

The opposition leader is facing six cases, including a sodomy allegation, but police say there was no political pressure in the investigation

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Anwar Ibrahim, founder and president of the People's Justice Party, speaks to the media after police questioned him mainly over the names of the members of parliament who support his bid to take over as prime minister. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:03pm, 17 Oct 2020Updated: 1:00am, 18 Dec 2020

Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said a police investigation into a list that purports to show lawmakers backing his bid for the premiership was a “malicious” attempt to pressure him into revealing the identities of his supporters.

Police summoned Anwar to assist with a probe into the distribution of the list of 121 lawmakers who allegedly back his bid to take over as prime minister from Muhyiddin Yassin. The list has been circulated on social media.

Anwar, who spent about two hours giving a statement to investigators on Friday, said only the king had the right to know the full details of lawmakers who he says are backing him to give majority support in parliament.

“I’m not here to cooperate with the political masters to give names, because it is not their business. It’s between me and His Highness, the Agong,” Anwar told reporters outside Bukit Aman police headquarters, using the Malay term for the king.

“It’s clearly malicious. It’s clearly a political harassment and clearly from my understanding there is a political instruction to the police.”

He also told reporters that he was under investigation by the police for six cases, including an allegation of sodomy.

The police in a statement on Saturday denied there had been any political pressure.