KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was not forced to strip naked during a medical examination at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (KLH), its director said.

"At no time throughout the examination was his decency violated," Datuk Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain said yesterday.

She said before the examination, the procedures were explained to the former deputy prime minister by two specialists in the presence of his lawyer.

"Only after having obtained his written consent did they proceed with the examination," Dr Zaininah said.

"He was then examined by the two specialists who adhered to proper clinical procedures during the whole course of the examination."
Police took Anwar, 61, to KLH on Wednesday night for medical tests after he was arrested to facilitate an investigation into a sodomy allegation against him.

Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan lodged a report on June 28 at the Jalan Travers police station, claiming Anwar had sodomised him.

Police have classified the case as carnal intercourse against the order of nature without consent, an offence which carries a jail sentence of between five and 20 years, with whipping.

At the hospital, Anwar refused to give his blood sample for DNA testing, claiming the evidence could be fabricated to implicate him.

He also spoke later of his embarrassment at being ordered to strip naked and "measured" when he was taken to the hospital.

"I was stripped naked and had my private parts examined. They also measured the parts," he said at a press conference on Thursday.

On the same day, however, a KLH official denied that Anwar had been subjected to indignity or "measured".

The official said those brought in for rape or sodomy cases were accorded respect and examined in a professional manner in keeping with the code of medical conduct.

In the instance where patients have to be examined for injury, the official said only the relevant part of the patient's body would be exposed.

"There is no necessity for the patient to be stripped naked for a full examination," the official added.