A Lawyer for Ousted Malaysia Reformer Is Sentenced to Jail
The trial of Malaysia’s ousted deputy prime minister turned more discordant Monday when a judge sentenced one of Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyers to jail for contempt of court.
High Court Judge Augustine Paul acted after the lawyer refused to apologize for accusing two prosecutors of trying to persuade a potential witness to lie in their effort to bolster charges of sexual misconduct against Anwar.
The attorney, Zainur Zakaria, immediately appealed the contempt ruling to the Court of Appeals. He was allowed to remain free on bail of $2,630 until a hearing Friday.
Anwar, prevented from talking to his attorneys in the courtroom, shouted angrily to reporters that he could no longer get a fair trial.
“I can’t even discuss this with my lawyers now,” he said. “Where is justice?”
Anwar was arrested in September after being fired as deputy prime minister and finance minister. His jailing and apparent beating while in custody have led to international interest in the case and support for his political reform movement.
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