Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, right, has said he will hand over power to Anwar Ibrahim – but has not specified when. Photo: EPA
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3046066/sex-assault-case-against-anwar-ibrahim-dismissed-malaysias Southeast Asia
Sex assault case against Anwar Ibrahim dismissed by Malaysia’s solicitor general for ‘insufficient evidence’
- The prime minister-in-waiting had been accused of making advances towards Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, a former People’s Justice Party researcher
- Anwar said the claims were politically motivated and designed to prevent him from taking over power from Mahathir Mohamad
In the clear: the attorney general has dismissed sex assault claims against Malaysia’s prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia’s attorney general has dismissed allegations that prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim attempted to sexually assault a former aide.
“We found there is insufficient evidence to prosecute on the reports lodged based on the evidence available in the investigation papers,” the solicitor general Engku Nor Faizah Engku Atek said on Tuesday on behalf of the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Anwar, who has twice been jailed on sodomy charges he says were politically-motivated, had been accused of making sexual advances towards Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, a former researcher with the People’s Justice Party (PKR) that is led by Anwar.
He denied the accusations, describing them as “politics at its worst” and saying they were designed to prevent him taking over from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 94, who led the Pakatan Harapan coalition to its shock victory in the 2018 general elections.
Following the statement from the solicitor general Anwar said he “welcomed the decision to bring an end to this matter and I thank the authorities for their professionalism”.
“While legitimate claims should be investigated according to due process, we cannot condone frivolous, vexatious and scurrilous allegations, especially when they impugn the integrity and honour of innocent Malaysians,” he added.
Anwar said he intended to pursue a defamation suit against his accuser.
Mahathir has promised to hand over power to Anwar before the end of his five-year term, although he has been unclear on exactly when.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mahathir had said he would step down whenever the four-party coalition asked him to, but did not specify a timeframe.
“I think this will be decided when all the four parties are together on whether they want me to go or not. And as far as I’m concerned, if they want me to go now, I will go now,” he said in response to PKR backbenchers who had called for Anwar to take over before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in November. Kuala Lumpur is hosting the summit.
Doubts over the timeline of the leadership transition have strained relations within the Pakatan Harapan coalition with just a few months to go before it marks two years in power.
It had been widely reported that the transition would take place within a two-year time frame, but Mahathir cast doubt on this in September, when he said he would stay in power for no more than three years.
Traditionally in Malaysia’s parliamentary system, the party with the most seats chooses the prime minister from its ranks. Anwar’s PKR has 50 seats, whereas Mahathir’s Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) has 26. However, some in the Pakatan Harapan coalition as well as opposition parties are insisting that Mahathir, who also served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, should remain in power for the full five-year term.
Government officials have previously said they believe Mahathir’s personal preference is to step down after the Apec Summit.