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Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has consulted a team of lawyers on the possibility of legal action against ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in relation to remarks that he (Anwar) is a “sodomist”.
His lawyer Sankara Nair said Anwar had sought legal advice over the statements which he described as “defamatory”.
“He contacted me last Saturday after reading reports on the defamatory statements made by Dr Mahathir, which were reportedly worldwide,” he told malaysiakini.
“Needless to say, he (Anwar) and his family are very upset considering that the Federal Court has acquitted him of sodomy charges and the fact that the high court recently had acknowledged that the allegations were part of a political conspiracy to topple him.”
He said the decision will be announced as soon as Anwar - currently lecturing at St Anthony’s College in Oxford University and Georgetown University in Washington - gives instructions to prepare a letter of demand to be sent to Mahathir.
“If he decides to proceed, a demand letter - which will seek a retraction and apology from Dr Mahathir, among other matters - will be prepared and sent,” Sankara said.
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Last week, Mahathir said he had sacked Anwar in 1998 because he could not “have a sodomiser” in his cabinet.
“Imagine a gay PM ... nobody will be safe!” he told reporters after delivering a speech at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia conference in Kuala Lumpur.
Trumped up charges
Mahathir also said that, since Malaysian society is against sodomy, he had acted accordingly.
Anwar was initially found guilty of sodomy, but had his conviction overturned by the Federal Court last year on appeal.
Anwar, who had served a prison sentence for a corruption conviction, has always claimed to be a victim of political conspiracy, saying the charges against him had been trumped up.
Last month, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ordered author Khalid Jafri to pay Anwar RM4.5 million for making a series of allegations, which included accusations of sodomy, in his book 50 Dalil mengapa Anwar tak boleh jadi PM (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be PM).
The book, published in early 1998, had allegedly sparked the downfall of Anwar.
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