Published: Friday February 15, 2013 MYT 5:48:00 PM

Anwar applies for Perkasa president, writer to be cited for contempt

By M. MAGESWARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is applying to the High Court to cite Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and writer Zainuddin Salleh for contempt of court for allegedly scandalising his trial judge in his defamation case.

The Opposition Leader is seeking to get leave from the court to commit both parties to prison over the publication of an article in the Perkasa website on Jan 7.

Anwar's lead counsel R. Sivarasa said Anwar was seeking a warrant of committal for contempt of court allegedly committed by the two parties.

Sivarasa said the article had make scurrilous and personal attacks on a High Court judge while a decision to be delivered by the judge in a RM50mil defamation case filed by Anwar against Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd was pending.

"It (the application) is for scandalising the judge and judiciary. The judiciary has to be protected from scurrilous attacks," Sivarasa told reporters.

He said they had sought for the matter to be heard before a new judge and not the trial judge implicated in the article, hence the case was registered before Justice John Louis O'Hara.

On Friday, Justice O'Hara set March 5 to hear the application for leave.

He invited the Attorney-General's Chambers to assist the court without being a party in the case.

"I am doing (this) as there are certain issues of public interest which would be best attended to by the A-G," Justice O'Hara said.

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