KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (AFP) - The judge in Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial on Friday implicitly rebuked Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for criticising defence moves to make him appear as a witness.

The defence will next week resume its legal battle to bring Mahathir to court after the judge ruled that the premier need not object to the witness subpoena served on him.

Crowds have packed the court this week in hopes of a dramatic encounter between the premier and his former heir apparent, who are now bitter political enemies.

Anwar was sacked as deputy premier on September 2, 1998 and detained 18 days later after leading anti-government protests.

Judge Arifin Jaka made his comments after Anwar's counsel Karpal Singh complained that statements made by Mahathir to reporters Thursday were contempt of court.

Mahathir said he would attend court if required but added: "I wouldn't like this to be a kind of political stunt.

"I hope it (my evidence) is relevant to the case. But if they want to make a political show out of it I don't think it is very fair."

Mahathir also said he did not think his testimony was necessary. "I don't know much about this thing. I think all the evidence has already been given.

"There is some political nuance in the desire to put me on the witness stand," he added Thursday.

Karpal complained that the premier "has been making statements impinging upon the merits of the trial.

"He has threatened to hang lawyers, in particular me, and in particular what he said yesterday. He said he will come to court only if it's relevant and that all evidence had been given.

"He has already closed the case. Can all this stop? He is not the first prime minister to come to court. He cannot make statements which amount to contempt."

Karpal, an opposition leader who has been charged with sedition over comments he made in court earlier in the trial, was referring to recent reported jocular comments by Mahathir about wishing to hang Karpal.

"I have been saying time and again in the course of this trial that everybody, for that matter let it be ministers or politicians, (should) stop commenting on the ongoing case," the judge said.

"But still comments are being made in respect of the subpoena being issued and served on the prime minister. The less comments made on this, the better.

"The very issue of what evidence is to be given by him (Mahathir) is yet to be decided. I hope there will be no further comments on this issue."

Earlier Arifin ruled that he was empowered to decide whether the premier must attend, and ordered the defence to state what evidence it wanted from Mahathir and how it was relevant.

In the meantime the witness subpoena was still in force.Karpal said a defence affidavit to show relevance would be filed by Tuesday.

Asked outside court if the judge's ruling was a setback, Karpal told reporters: "We will bounce back."

Anwar was jailed for six years last April for abusing his official powers to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct.

He and his adopted brother Sukma Darmawan are now on trial for sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar in early 1993 -- a charge punishable by 20 years' jail. Azizan was the official driver for Anwar's wife at the time.

Anwar says charges against him were fabricated in a high-level political conspiracy after he threatened to expose corruption.

As the trial resumed Gurbachan Singh, another of Anwar's lawyers, applied to call Abdullah Sani, Anwar's personal official driver in 1993.

Abdullah was not present and the judge said he would issue an arrest warrant.

"He is not the prime minister, just an ordinary driver. Please show some compassion," Anwar pleaded from the dock.

After it was found no subpoena had been served on Abdullah, the judge adjourned the case till Monday so he could be called.