"It is strange for him to go all over the world and slander me but he is afraid to attend court," said Anwar in another affidavit stating why Mahathir should be forced to obey a defence subpoena.

"He led the whole conspiracy to topple me through fabrication of charges, using government machinery. "He should not be afraid to be subjected to the due process of justice and truth unless he is afraid the fabrication will be exposed," Anwar wrote in the affidavit filed Wednesday.

"I urge the court not to give him room to hide behind the mask of his powers to avoid the process of justice and truth."

Anwar's latest affidavit responds to one filed Tuesday by Mahathir on why he should not testify.

The premier says he believes his former deputy is guilty of sodomy but he has no personal knowledge or evidence of any political plot to smear Anwar or topple him from office.

He says he sacked Anwar on September 2, 1998 because "I cannot allow an immoral person to become prime minister and my successor."

Mahathir's affidavit responded to an earlier one from Anwar on why he should testify.

Anwar led mass anti-government protests after his sacking but was detained 18 days later.

In April 1999 he was jailed for six years for abusing his powers to cover up claims of sexual misconduct. Sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years.

Anwar, 52, has insisted he was framed as part of a high-level conspiracy because he threatened to expose government corruption and was seen as a political threat to Mahathir.

The government says there is no consiracy and the courts are independent.

High court judge Arifin Jaka is set to hear submissions from both sides Monday before deciding if the premier must come to court.

Arifin adjourned the trial Wednesday until Friday after he was was told that Anwar had filed the additional affidavit. "Bring this affidavit to the prime minister's attention. But he must not reply to it ... no more affidavits, all the material is before the court, I will hear submissions on Monday," the judge said.

Anwar said in his latest affidavit he did not question Mahathir's right to fire him as deputy premier, "but to sack me from the party through slander and false allegation is very disappointing."

He said Mahathir and "cronies" were bent on destroying him through fabrication of evidence as they were worried about his stand on corruption, justice and freedom.

"Mahathir has often ridiculed me for upholding religion ... that is why he and his group chose adultery and sodomy as political weapons to topple me," he said.

Anwar added elsewhere in the document: "I have said that only cruel dictators like Hitler and Stalin have resorted to toppling political enemies through such slander."

Arifin is also considering whether to order Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin to testify for the defence. Deputy Education Minister Aziz Shamsuddin has dropped his objections and is now willing to give evidence for the defence.

Anwar has named Daim and Aziz, Mahathir's then-political secretary, as among the main conspirators against him. The trial, which started last June, is now in its 99th day.