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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was arrested over sodomy accusations on Wednesday and spent a night in police custody, is not expected to be released on Thursday, his lawyer said.
"I doubt he will be released today," Sankara Nair told AFP, expressing disappointment that the 60-year-old opposition leader was detained overnight after spending Wednesday under interrogation.
"They promised me a police bail but they did not, they played a dirty game," he said.
Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said she feared for his safety, after the events of a decade ago when he was sacked as deputy premier, beaten up by the police chief, and jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption charges.
But Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has given the assurance that Anwar would be unharmed in police custody, according to Keadilan vice-president Mohamad Azmin Ali.
He said the prime minister had assured him at a meeting at the prime minister's office at Parliament House.
Anwar's party said that 20 balaclava-clad police commandos swooped on the opposition leader's vehicle as he approached his home on Wednesday, just an hour before he was due to appear voluntarily for a police interview.
Anwar spent more than six hours at Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, giving a statement over the sodomy allegations made by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former aide, before he was taken to hospital.
His lawyers said he underwent a physical examination but refused to give a DNA sample.
Sankara said Anwar would continue Thursday morning to give police his statement over accusations that he sodomised Mohamad Saiful at an up-market condominium.
"A further statement will be recorded. They may do two things, they may take Anwar to court to extend his remand or they may charge him," he said.
"If they charge him we are going to seek bail. It is a non-bailable offence but bail is given usually."
Anwar's party said they expected the opposition leader to be taken to court on Thursday to extend his detention.
Police are allowed to hold Anwar for 24 hours but then must either charge him or apply for a court order that would allow them to keep him for up to 14 days without charge.
Anwar has said the allegations made by the former aide are a government conspiracy to prevent him from seizing power after March elections where the opposition made major gains.
Outside police headquarters, a crowd of some 600 protesters who had faced off authorities earlier had mostly dispersed, but some 200 remained and held a peaceful candlelight vigil.
- AFP/yb
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