The Court of Appeal ruled that proceedings must be postponed to allow Anwar to pursue a constitutional challenge over whether a sitting prime minister should be shielded from such lawsuits, particularly those related to events before he took office that might be politically motivated.
Anwar is facing a civil suit filed by his former research aide, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who has accused him of sexual assault at his private residence in 2018, when he was the opposition leader. Anwar has denied the allegations.
The trial was initially scheduled to begin in mid-June, but a three-member bench earlier agreed it should be deferred to give Anwar sufficient time to seek clarification from the Federal Court on the scope of legal protections afforded to a serving prime minister.
Anwar’s lawyers have argued that the prime minister is “simply asserting his right to raise constitutional questions of public importance” and is not attempting to avoid trial.
At question is whether a sitting prime minister should be granted protection from politically motivated suits aimed at undermining the government, and whether civil suits involving conduct before a leader took office should be subject to safeguards.
These are serious and unprecedented questions
