Despite acquittal, Anwar says ‘remains to be seen’ that courts are free

Anwar (centre) addressing the crowd outside the Kuala Lumpur High
Court soon after his acquittal on January 9, 2012.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today it “took some courage” for the judge in his sodomy trial to acquit him, but he disputed the government’s assertion that it meant the courts were free from political manipulation.

“I recognise and acknowledge the fact that it took some courage on the part of the judge to come up with (the acquittal) ... But to suggest therefore that the judiciary is independent I think it remains to be seen,” he told reporters after his acquittal.

The High Court today acquitted Anwar of a charge of sodomising his former male aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Najib to keep Facebook wall open, despite 'Diam lah' comments

Embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak has decided not to shut down his Facebook page which has been attacked by fed-up netizens postingDiam Lah or Shaddup in protest of his political doubespeak.

Questions surround Baharudin's death despite police denial

KUALA LUMPUR - The family of the late Baharudin Ahmad, one of the protesters at Bersih's massive rally on Saturday whose funeral was attended by Pakatan Rakyat top leaders yesterday, has disputed claims by police that he had died of heart problems.

Earlier reports said Baharudin, 56, had suffered difficulty in breathing after the police charged tear towards him to disperse crowd of people near KLCC. He then collapsed, but was denied immediate care due to ambulance being prevented from arrival.

Video Surfaces – Rape Victim Walks Steadily To Her Door Despite Claims She Was Too Drunk To Stand

The Gap fashion executive accusing two policemen of rape has been shown walking steadily up to her door in previously-unseen surveillance footage in court.

Witnesses have said the 28-year-old was so drunk she could not even stand up before the alleged rape by NYPD cops Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata.

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

The video did show accused rapist Moreno and lookout Mata making three return trips in five hours, but the policemen are hoping the 2008 CCTV tape will help their case.

The woman’s taxi driver and three of her friends have so far told jurors that she was a drunken wreck after a night of champagne and five Jack Daniel’s and Red Bull drinks.

But the video footage seems to show the woman animated, walking steadily and talking with Mata while extending her hand in a conversational gesture.

Mata places his hand on the woman’s back as she approaches the door and Moreno follows them behind, according to the tape shown in New York’s Supreme Court.

She is then seen pushing her own door in East Village, reported the New York Post.

Moreno and Mata, charged with conspiring to rape the woman, deny intercourse that night and hope they will not be convicted if intoxication cannot be proven.

But prosecutors Coleen Balbert and Randolph Clarke have promised much evidence proving she was too drunk to consent, such as test results for blood-alcohol content.

Prosecutors claim a taxi driver called 911 to say she was too drunk to get herself out of a taxi. Their case rests on the woman being too drunk to consent to having sex.

The officers helped her into the flat but later returned and Moreno raped her while Mata stood watch, prosecutors said.

‘She seemed intoxicated,’ one visitor to her flat said. ‘By her appearance. The way she’s walking. The way her heels sounded.’

The woman’s boss also cried as she told jurors earlier in the trial that the woman was ‘devastated’ and ‘demoralized’ after the incident.

Joseph Tacopina, defending, has previously claimed the woman only became ’100 per cent positive’ she was raped after filing a $60million lawsuit against New York City.

Moreno and Mata deny all charges, including rape and burglary. The trial continues.

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