Cops reject Anwar’s ‘strange’ request to meet 2 hours before royal audience

Bukit Aman has rejected a request by PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim to be questioned on the same day he meets the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

This comes as police investigate at least six reports by Umno MPs who deny a list making the rounds claiming they will support Anwar to topple the federal government.

Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) said the PKR leader had been called to give a statement today at 11am.

“But his private secretary informed us that Anwar could only come on Oct 13, at 9am,” CID director Huzir Mohamed said in statement.

He said police have postponed their appointment with Anwar and will announce a new date soon.

A source privy to the matter said Anwar’s request to have his session with police just two hours before his royal audience at Istana Negara was “strange”.

“It would not give him enough time to be dressed for the occasion, and it could also complicate police investigations which would normally take more than a couple of hours,” it said.

Police have postponed their appointment with Anwar and will announce a new date soon.

Last week, Anwar said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had consented to a royal audience tomorrow, at which he would furnish details of his claim to having “formidable and convincing” majority support from MPs to form the government.

Anwar three weeks earlier declared that Muhyiddin Yassin’s government had fallen, and that he was on the verge of forming a strong new administration.

There have since been claims of several Umno MPs crossing over to Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan bloc.

At least 10 MPs have denied suggestions that they would back Anwar for the prime minister’s position, including Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Ahmad Maslan, Bung Moktar Radin, Mahdzir Khalid, Idris Jusoh, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Shahidan Kassim.

A few of them have also lodged police reports.

Police have opened investigations under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.