Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be allowed to argue that he has legal immunity from a sexual harassment civil suit after the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour on Tuesday, just days before proceedings were due to start.
The suit, brought by Anwar’s former research assistant Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, alleges that Anwar sexually assaulted him in 2018 at the then-opposition leader’s private residence. Anwar has denied the allegations.
The case risks resurfacing controversies that have overshadowed Anwar’s political career for years.
On June 4, the High Court dismissed Anwar’s attempt to invoke legal immunity as prime minister to block the suit, exposing him to a potentially damaging court case. It said he was “seeking to create new immunity where none exists constitutionally”.
However, on Tuesday, the appellate court set aside that ruling in a unanimous decision.
“We hereby make an ad interim order to stay all proceedings, including full trial at the High Court, pending the disposal of the appellant’s application,” Judge Supang Lian said on behalf of her panel members, Faizah Jamaludin and Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin.
The decision puts the civil trial on hold until the appellate court rules on whether to allow the matter to be be brought before the Federal Court. Malaysia’s apex court is the final authority on the question of immunity.
