Malaysian court pauses sexual assault suit against premier Anwar
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Mr Anwar wants the Federal Court to determine whether the lawsuit would impair his ability to execute his duties as Prime Minister.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Court of Appeal has granted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s application to fully pause a civil lawsuit against him by a former aide who alleged he was sexually assaulted in 2018.
A court panel comprised of three judges decided to stay proceedings of the trial in a unanimous decision on July 21 that was read out by Appeal Court Judge Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali.
Datuk Seri Anwar is separately appealing against another court decision that was dismissed in June 2025, in his bid to seek clarity from the Federal Court on whether a sitting prime minister can be sued based on pre-office conduct. The court set Sept 2 for case management to determine the date of the appeal.
Judge Ruzima said: “On the application for stay, we find that the stay should be granted because there exist special circumstances. If there is no stay of proceedings, the appeal will be rendered negatory.”
It is a reprieve for Mr Anwar, who years ago faced sodomy and abuse of power convictions – charges that he denied. The accusations, which he said were politically motivated, came in the wake of the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and 1998, when he was deputy prime minister until his dismissal from Cabinet.
Mr Yusoff Rawther, a former research aide to Mr Anwar, filed his suit in 2021, accusing him of sexual assault in October 2018 while they were in Mr Anwar’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Anwar, who became prime minister in 2022, denies any wrongdoing. Mr Yusoff is seeking special, general, aggravated and exemplary damages.
Mr Anwar’s lawyer Allan Wong argued that if the lawsuit continued before the appeal was dealt with, Mr Anwar would be drawn away from governmental functions, exposed to adverse political inferences and placed in the position of institutional vulnerability.
Mr Anwar wants the Federal Court to determine whether allowing the lawsuit to proceed would impair his ability to execute his duties as prime minister and undermine the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers.
He said the case was never about seeking personal immunity or escaping legal scrutiny, and that he would continue to carry out his responsibilities without distraction or compromise. BLOOMBERG
