Sexual assault suit filed against Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: A former research assistant to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has filed a suit against the PKR president for allegedly sexually assaulting him three years ago.

Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, 28, filed the suit through Messrs Abd Halim Ushah & Associates at the High Court on Wednesday.

In the statement of claim, Muhammed Yusoff stated that the sexual assault took place on Oct 2, 2018 at Anwar’s residence in Segambut when he was asked by the defendant’s private secretary Shukri Saad to hand over a text of speech he (Anwar) was to deliver in conjunction with Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th anniversary celebrations that was organised by the Indian embassy.

He claimed that Anwar, 73, sexually assaulted and molested him, despite him asking the defendant to stop.

Following the incident, Muhammed Yusoff claimed that there was no communication between him and Anwar for about a month, although he was still working with the defendant prior to his transfer to the Aman Foundation, before his resignation on June 24, 2019.

He lodged a police report against Anwar on Dec 7, 2019 and underwent a lie detector test/polygraph test at the police headquarters in Bukit Aman on Dec 17 the same year, but claimed that Anwar refused to go for the test.

According to Muhammed Yusoff, the Attorney-General’s Chambers had issued a statement saying that there was not enough evidence to charge Anwar.

He claimed that as a result of the incident, he was accused of conspiring to bring Anwar down and damaging his political career, and this affected his health mentally.

He is seeking special, general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as interests, costs and other relief deem fit by the court.

Meanwhile, lawyer Mahajoth Singh, who is representing Muhammed Yusoff, confirmed via WhatsApp yesterday when contacted by Bernama that a suit was filed on Wednesday, and that they had yet to serve a writ of summons on Anwar.

“We are awaiting to extract the sealed writ (to serve on Anwar). No date has been fixed by the court (over the suit) so far,” he added.