KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's police chief said on Friday that experts have confirmed the authenticity of a sex tape showing a man allegedly resembling opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has denied it is him.
The video, which was viewed by local media two weeks ago, shows someone looking like the former deputy premier engaging in sex with a woman in what appeared to be a hotel room, according to a journalist who viewed the 17-minute tape.
Ismail Omar said that Malaysian experts who had examined the tape said it was not doctored, adding that a police investigation prompted by a complaint Anwar filed over the allegations was in its closing stages.
"Last week, the tape had been sent to local experts for analysis," he said in a short statement.
"The expert's report has been received by the investigating officer. The report has verified that the video recording is authentic," he added.
"I am still weighing the option of whether to send the tape to be analysed by foreign experts, if needed."
He added that papers would soon be handed over to the Attorney General, who would decide on the next steps, but he did not identify the individual in the video. Police spokesmen were unavailable for comment when contacted by AFP.
Last week, three men, including two who are members of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said they were responsible for securing the tape.
They said in a statement that the incident took place at a hotel "that offered sex services and spa facilities" in the Malaysian capital on February 21 this year.
The three said the video and hidden recording equipment were found in the hotel room after Anwar asked for it to be searched to find a watch left behind there.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed in 1998 on sodomy and corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated, said the tape was another "dirty and obscene" attempt to end his career.
He spent six years in prison but was released from jail in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned.
The latest allegations emerged as Anwar undergoes a second sodomy trial, where a 25-year-old male former aide has accused the 63-year-old father of six of sodomising him at an upmarket Kuala Lumpur condominium in 2008.
If convicted, Anwar faces up to 20 years in prison.
Anwar has said he is the victim of a plot to prevent him from taking power after the opposition made huge strides in 2008 elections, stunning the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition which has been in power for half a century.