New Zealand passed rare comment on another country's justice system yesterday when the Government expressed its concern about the conviction for sodomy of the former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Foreign Minister Phil Goff told the Malaysian Government that New Zealand was concerned about the process that secured the conviction.
Anwar was sentenced to nine years' jail.
Mr Goff said that no country relished outside criticism of its judicial processes, and it was not appropriate to raise specific aspects of the trial when an appeal was likely.
"There is, however, deep concern about the adequacy and fairness of the processes followed in reaching this verdict," he said.
Reservations had been expressed by the International Bar Association, the Centre for the Independence of Judges, lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association.
"These reservations relate to the reliability and admissibility of evidence, constraints placed on the defence and the independence of the Judiciary from the Executive," Mr Goff said.
Those issues had been raised with Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid two weeks ago.
"I have now communicated to him directly New Zealand concerns about the inadequacy of the judicial processes in this case."
High Court Judge Arifin Jaka said Anwar would start the prison sentence after he finished a six-year jail term for corruption in 2005.
Anwar had faced up to 20 years in jail in the sodomy case.
Anwar, aged 52, and his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, 39, were jointly accused of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the Anwar family's former driver, one night between January and March 1993.
Sukma was sentenced to six years in jail and four strokes of a cane. Sukma's sentence was suspended pending his appeal against the verdict. Anwar also plans to appeal against the sodomy conviction.
Anwar testified that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his associates had framed him in the sex scandal to stave off a possible leadership challenge.
Dr Mahathir has denied the accusation, saying Anwar was morally unfit to succeed him.
- NZPA
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