Febuary 17 , 2000 21:03PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- The High Court here Thursday set aside the acquittal of Hulu Klang state assemblyman Mohamed Azmin Ali on a perjury charge and ordered him to enter his defence.

Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail held that the Sessions Court judge had made serious errors, omissions and irregularities in his judgment and reasoning, which had resulted in a failure of justice, when acquitting and discharging Azmin without calling for his defence.

"Therefore, the court allows the appeal by the prosecution and hereby orders the respondent (Azmin) to enter his defence and remits this case to the Sessions Court for continued trial," he said.

Abdul Wahab, who left it to the Sessions Court to fix the hearing date, maintained the RM10,000 bail with one surety imposed on Azmin.

Azmin, 34, former private secretary of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was acquitted and discharged by Judge Hamdan Indah on July 13 last year.

Azmin was charged with giving false evidence as a defence witness in the former deputy prime minister's corruption trial at the High Court here on March 9 last year.

He was alleged to have said: "I told the magistrate that my remand should not be extended because of police brutality and threats against me while in their custody and they forced me to make a confession involving saudara Anwar which is totally baseless."

Azmin was charged under Section 193 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of seven years' jail and a fine upon conviction. -- BERNAMA