Tremors of joy as court acquits Anwar

Jan 9: In scenes reminiscent of his 2004 release from prison, there was jubilation among tens of thousands who gathered outside the court complex in Jalan Duta this morning, after it was announced that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was found not guilty by judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.

HERE TO STAY ... Wan Azizah hugs Anwar moments after the verdict was delivered, Jan 9

The verdict was announced in a short judgement by Zabidin, sending tremors of joy across the court which then spilled over to the crowd.

Central to the judgement was doubt on the DNA evidence provided by the prosecution.

"I am not 100% certain that integrity of DNA samples was not compromised, and finds that it is not safe to rely on DNA evidence," said Zabidin.

"The accused is thus acquitted and discharged," he declared, after saying that the court could not rely entirely on accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan's testimony alone due to the nature of the charge.

The judgement today was widely unexpected, though lawyers had said that it would not be a surprise judging by weaknesses in the prosecution's argument throughout the trial.

At press time, shouts of the takbir (God is Great) and "reformasi" have been reverberating outside the court complex, where the crowd had been gathered even before the Subuh prayer at the nearby Federal Territory mosque.

Resource: harakah