Malaysian Court grants Anwar bid to pause civil lawsuit
[KUALA LUMPUR] A Malaysian Court of Appeal granted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's application to temporarily pause a civil lawsuit against him by a former aide who alleges he was sexually assaulted in 2018.
A court panel comprised three judges who decided to stay proceedings of the trial in a unanimous decision on Tuesday (Jun 10) that was read out by Appeal Court Judge Supang Lian.
Anwar was appealing a High Court decision that had ruled that the trial would begin on June 16. He is separately appealing another court decision that dismisses a bid seeking clarity from the Federal Court whether a sitting prime minister can be sued.
It's a reprieve for Anwar who years ago faced sodomy and abuse of power convictions – charges which he denied. The cases he said were politically motivated came in the wake of the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, when he was deputy prime minister until his dismissal from cabinet.
Yusoff Rawther, a former research aid to Anwar, filed his suit in 2021 accusing him of sexual assault in October 2018 while they were in the latter's residence in Kuala Lumpur. Anwar, who became prime minister in 2022, denies any wrongdoing. Yusoff is seeking special, general, aggravated and exemplary damages.
Anwar wants the Federal Court to determine whether allowing the lawsuit to proceed would impair his ability to executive his duties as prime minister and undermine the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers. He said last week the case was never about seeking personal immunity or escaping legal scrutiny, and that he would continue to carry out his responsibilities without distraction or compromise. BLOOMBERG
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