KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (AFP) - A witness in the sodomy trial of ex-Malaysian deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim told the court Wednesday that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad masterminded a book containing sexual allegations against Anwar.

Defence witness Nor Azman Abdullah said Ummi Hafilda Ali, the sister of an Anwar aide, had told him in 1998 that Mahathir was behind the book "Fifty Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister."

"Ummi told me that the prime minister is the person behind the book," Nor Azman told the high court.

He said Ummi had told him that Aziz Shamsuddin, then Mahathir's political secretary, had ordered 40 copies of the book to be delivered to the prime minister's department.

Anwar, sacked by Mahathir in September 1998, was jailed for six years last April for abusing his powers to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct.

Ummi, who was a key witness against Anwar in the first trial, wrote a letter to Mahathir in August 1997 alleging that Anwar sodomised his former driver Azizan Abu Bakar and had extramarital affairs.

The allegations were among those contained in the book which was circulated during a meeting of Mahathir's ruling party in 1998, the court was earlier told.

Anwar, who is now on trial for sodomising Azizan, says he is the victim of a high-level conspiracy because he intended to expose corruption and was seen as a political threat to the premier.

Nor Azman, now a farmer in eastern Sarawak state, said Ummi first showed him the book during a business trip to London with two others in June 1998.

"Ummi told me there are three people who sponsored the book -- Tengku Adnan, Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) and (Finance Minister) Tun Daim (Zainuddin)," he said, but did not elaborate.

He said Ummi initially claimed the sexual allegations against Anwar were true but "later when we became close friends, she said all of it was fabricated to topple Anwar."

Asked by defence counsel Gurbachan Singh what he meant by close friends, Nor Azman said: "I and Ummi had sex in London."

When Justice Arifin Jaka interrupted to ask the relevance of the couple's sexual relationship to the trial, Gurbachan replied: "It is our defence that this is a case where statements are fabricated in a conspiracy to topple Anwar."

Nor Azman then said Ummi also told him that she forced Azizan to falsely admit he was sodomised by Anwar.

"Ummi said she hated Anwar and (her brother) Azmin (Ali) because they did not give her any business contracts," he said.

Azmin, Anwar's former political secretary, had testified that Ummi had told him in 1998 that she was promised money and business contracts to make up evidence against Anwar.

Nor Azman said Ummi confessed that Daim promised to award her a huge advertising contract at the Kuala Lumpur international airport once Anwar was ousted.

"Ummi said once Anwar is toppled, she will get 10 million ringgitmillion dollars) from the ... project," he said, adding that "she promised me a 25 percent stake in the project."

"Ummi said the truth was, she fabricated the evidence aimed to topple Anwar and to secure the projects," he added

Nor Azman, a father of two children, also told the court that Ummi proposed to pay off his wife with 200,000 ringgit so that they could marry.

Prosecutors reserved cross-examining Nor Azman unless Ummi was summoned to the dock. Defence lawyers said they would not call her.

Arifin adjourned the hearing to Friday when he would rule whether to allow Mahathir to appear as a defence witness.

The premier has resisted being called to the dock. In an affidavit, he said he believed Anwar was guilty of sodomy but had no knowledge of any political plot. He said his testimony was irrelevant to the trial.