Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a key victory in his sodomy trial Tuesday as DNA evidence that the prosecution had linked with his accuser was ruled inadmissible.
The High Court's decision is a major boost for Anwar, a former deputy premier who was jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, and who faces 20 years in jail if found guilty of the new charges.
The court found that a toothbrush, mineral water bottle and a hand towel taken from the lock-up where Anwar was held overnight after his arrest in July 2008 were improperly obtained.
"I find that in this case the DNA samples from the three items...were obtained by unfair means from the accused," said Judge Zabidin Mohammad Diah, adding that they were to be "excluded from evidence".
Anwar was in high spirits after the decision, which means the prosecution will now have to rely on the evidence of the accuser, his former aide Mohammad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who said he was sodomised at an upmarket condominium.
"I am grateful for the verdict and this just further supports what I have said, that I am being persecuted unfairly by the authorities in their bid to silence me," Anwar told reporters.
