Sodomy allegation: Pusrawi doctor confirms SD - Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Sept 4, 2008

The doctor who examined Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan after the latter had lodged a police report alleging he had been sodomised by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has resurfaced to “set the record straight.”

Pusrawi Hospital’s Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid, reaffirmed statements he had made in a statutory declaration he had filed on June 28, saying that he had found no evidence of sodomy in his examination.

"I am standing by the SD that I have made. There have been a lot of media statements that have put me in a bad light both professionally and personally.

"Please be assured that I had merely done my job as a doctor. I am not involved in politics and I will always tell the truth," Dr Mohamed Osman said at a press conference Thursday. He was accompanied by his lawyers M. Puravalen and Yusri Kamarudin at the Bar Council in Leboh Pasar Besar here.

His statutory declaration was leaked to Malaysia Today and published in the news portal on July 28, after which the Myanmar national took one month’s leave from the hospital and apparently fled the country.

The doctor said he has no knowledge of how his medical examination report on Mohd Saiful, who has alleged that he was sodomised by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was circulated to the media and Internet.

"I don't know how the information got out and I don't know Mohd Saiful in a personal capacity.

"I have never at any time breached my professional ethics and have always practised doctor-patient confidentiality," he said.

Dr Mohamed Osman said he is very angry and saddened by the whole issue as he was not in control of what happened to him.

"I do not hold the patient’s folder all the time. If I am working as a doctor in my own clinic, the records will be in my hand or under my control but now I just want to clear my name," he said, adding he was on holiday overseas for over a month and was still employed by the hospital.

Dr Mohamed Osman - a general practitioner who works at the Emergency and Accident Clinic at Pusrawi - said he did not examine Saiful for sodomy on June 26.

He said Saiful came to the hospital and had initially sought treatment for stomach pain. He then informed the doctor that he had pain in the anus.

The doctor then advised him to seek further examination for sodomy from specialists at a government hospital.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin was called in to give his statement to the police at the Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) headquarters here in Bukti Perdana at 9am Thursday.

He was questioned for about two hours on the SD made by Dr Mohamed Osman that was posted on the news portal.

"They wanted to know if I knew (Dr Mohamed) Osman and if I obtained any documents from him, whether I published all those documents and whether I'm the owner of the news portal.

"Basically my answer was not relevant. I'm not answering anything. Who is the owner of Malaysia Today? I don't know. Who makes the decision for Malaysia Today? I don't know. Go find the owner and charge him," Raja Petra said.

He said he told police that the SD was not hosted on Malaysia Today but by image hosting website Imageshack.

Raja Petra added he was unperturbed by the possibility of landing in jail.

"Even if you want to deny bail, I'll go to Sungai Buloh prison and rest for Hari Raya," he said.

He was greeted by a group of supporters, including fellow bloggers, before leaving with his wife Marina Abdullah and lawyer Amarjit Singh.