Anwar lawyers say Malaysia PM refuses to talk

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Lawyers for Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said they quizzed Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife on Friday as potential witnesses in Anwar's sodomy trial but the couple refused to talk.

A Malaysian judge on Monday had ordered Mr Najib and other key witnesses to submit to interviews with the former deputy prime minister's lawyers, but also ruled that they were not required to offer any information.

Anwar, 64, is defending himself against allegations he sodomised a young male aide in 2008, charges he says were concocted by Mr Najib's government to stall an Anwar-led resurgence by the political opposition.

With Anwar present, Mr Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor met briefly with defence lawyers at a courthouse in the capital Kuala Lumpur, Anwar's attorney Sankara Nair said.