The first witness in the trial of Mr Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that allegations of sexual misconduct by the former finance minister had surfaced as early as 1992, six years before he was sacked and charged.
The police special branch director, Mr Mohd Said Awang, told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur that police had started an investigation code-named Solid Grip in 1992 following the allegations.
Mr Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister in September last. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of corruption and five of sodomy.
The four corruption charges under scrutiny during the first phase of the trial allege that in August 1997 Mr Anwar directed Mr Mohd Said to obtain statements from a man and a woman denying sodomy and sexual misconduct with the former cabinet minister.
The police officer said he was told in August 1997 of the 1992 operation. "This operation was in regard to the sexual misbehaviour of Datuk Seri Anwar," he said.
He said that two colleagues briefed him at the same time about a letter written by a woman that alleged sexual misbehaviour by Mr Anwar and that had been sent to the Prime Minister, Mr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said he then discussed the letter with Mr Anwar, who was finance minister from 1991 to September 1998. "He talked to me about a certain letter containing wild allegations about him," Mr Mohd Said told the hearing. "Towards the end, he asked me to look into the matter."
After a protest by the defence that the evidence had no bearing on the corruption trial, the presiding judge accepted the prosecution's argument and also admitted as evidence a 21-page letter to Mr Mahathir by Ummi Hafilda Ali, who alleged sexual misbehaviour by Mr Anwar.