PUTRAJAYA, Nov 6 — Defence lawyer Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram took to tearing apart Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s credibility today, even suggesting that the expensive Brioni suit that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had supposedly gifted him could have been made up to paint a false picture of the duo’s alleged relationship.

The former Federal Court judge pointed out to the five-man panel at Anwar’s appeal hearing this evening that a suit from the luxury Brioni brand costs something like RM16,000.

“I’m told none of your lordships can afford the suit,” he quipped, stirring laughter from the panel.

Continuing, Sri Ram noted that from the items taken from Saiful, the youth’s suit or trousers had no markings or labels to indicate their brand.

Where then is the Brioni suit? the lawyer asked.

“If this evidence is believable, then fairies exist,” he told the court.

Sri Ram pointed out that the prosecution, during submissions, had tried to show there was an existing relationship between Anwar and Saiful even before the alleged sodomy act took place.

But, he stressed, this had only been based on evidence given by Saiful, which he said has been extremely prejudicial towards Anwar.

“If evidence of PW1 (Saiful) collapses...nothing can be salvaged!” he told the court.

Sri Ram also attacked Saiful’s portrayal as a helpless victim held under the spell of his former boss Anwar.

“A man (Saiful) who had courage to ask then DPM Najib for letter of support for a pilot course in Kota Bharu. He (Saiful) had the courage to call IGP (Inspector-General of Police).

“He even had the courage to go to the home of the DPM (deputy prime minister),” he pointed out.

During submissions last week, lead prosecutor Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had sought to cast a spotlight on Anwar’s alleged relationship with Saiful even before the sodomy act.

As alleged proof of this, Shafee pointed out that the Opposition Leader had been particularly generous towards his former aide, giving him a generous allowance, a room of his own and even showering him with expensive clothes.

“He (Saiful) is given a room of his own, this dropout... the other staff were not.

“The accused (Anwar) gave him many clothes... including letting him use (Anwar’s) Brioni suit, which is more expensive than any other suit known.

“In fact even I (Shafee) don’t have that kind of suit,” Shafee told the Federal Court.

Shafee also said the youth’s account of the sodomy incident shows that he had been dominated by his former boss into “submission”.

The lawyer then repeated Saiful’s narrative on the day the alleged sodomy act took place when Anwar purportedly asked, “Can I f*** you today?”

Anwar, who is the Permatang Pauh MP, was charged with sodomy for the second time after Saiful, his former aide, complained of being sodomised by the politician at the Desa Damansara condominium in upscale Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

Shafee also said that Saiful’s testimony indicated that he was sodomised by Anwar even before June 26.

“He (Anwar) did it roughly, for five minutes..as usual. He then ejaculated into my anus,” the lawyer repeated from Saiful’s testimony.

He said the court cannot ignore the use of the words “as usual” in the testimony.

The Federal Court is currently hearing today Anwar’s challenge of the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn a lower court’s decision to acquit him of the charge.

The High Court had in 2012 acquitted Anwar of the 2008 charge but the appellate court ruled on March 7 this year that the trial judge had erred when rejecting the DNA evidence produced in the case.

Anwar has repeatedly maintained his innocence, insisting that the charges were trumped up to kill his political career as he allegedly poses a threat to the Barisan Nasional coalition’s decades-long rule with the Pakatan Rakyat alliance, which he now leads.

If Anwar fails to reverse his five-year imprisonment sentence and conviction in the Federal Court, he would lose his seat as the law bars anyone fined RM2,000 or imprisoned for one year from serving as a lawmaker.

Today’s hearing is presided over by a five-member panel led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria. Others include Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif and Federal Court judges Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Embong, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar and Datuk Ramly Ali.

Anwar is represented by a 14-man defence team led by Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram. Others include lawyers R.Sivarasa, Latheefa Koya, N. Surendran and Gobind Singh Deo.