A polygraph test is among the options being considered by police as investigators zero in on details surrounding allegations of sexual assault by Muhammed Yusoff Rawther against Anwar Ibrahim, a source familiar with such cases told FMT.
The source also said that investigation methods this time appeared to be different from previous sexual misconduct cases involving the PKR leader, including the Sodomy 2 case where he was accused of sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
“Here, cops are dealing with outrage of modesty, where no sexual penetration has been claimed. This means police have to look at other ways to establish a case.”
The so-called Sodomy 2 case ended with Anwar being sentenced to five years’ jail, before he was released last year following a royal pardon.
In all the cases, Anwar has strongly denied allegations against him, saying they were politically motivated.
Speaking to FMT under conditions of strict anonymity, the source told FMT that the “other ways” to probe the claims against the PKR leader would include establishing Anwar’s whereabouts on Oct 2 last year, the day the alleged assault took place.
Bukit Aman’s Classified Criminal Investigation Unit this week launched a probe under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which deals with using criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty, based on a police report filed by Yusoff on Dec 7.
Yusoff, a grandson of late Penang consumer advocate SM Idris, was questioned for hours at Bukit Aman accompanied by his lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla. In his statutory declaration, Yusoff said he had thwarted Anwar’s attempt to outrage his modesty when the two met at the PKR president’s house on Oct 2 last year.
Yesterday, police visited the PKR leader’s house in Bukit Segambut, after taking a statement from Anwar at Bukit Aman.
“Officers are believed to have inspected several areas in the house which Yusoff Rawther referred to during questioning at the Bukit Aman police headquarters,” the source told FMT.
Oct 2, 2018 was just days after Anwar was nominated to contest the Port Dickson by-election, where he later won handsomely to make a parliamentary comeback.
While Anwar had a busy schedule with campaigning during that period, news reports have also placed the PKR leader in Kuala Lumpur, where he spoke at a memorial held for Mahatma Gandhi in Brickfields.
“That’s the easy part. The more difficult part is to establish specifics, and ultimately, the truth,” said the source.
The source further said he would not be surprised if investigators seriously contemplate the use of a polygraph test, the results of which can be admissible in court based on a judge’s discretion.
“But at this stage, it helps investigators to sift through the claims,” he added.
Polygraph tests, which have been used by the police, armed forces and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in their investigations, give physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and respiration during questioning.
“But a person must agree to undergo the test,” said the source, who also added that polygraph tests are not necessarily an accurate lie detector as widely believed. – FMT