Putrajaya – Malaysia’s federal court on Wednesday rejected the final appeal by jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to overturn his 2014 conviction for sodomy and five-year prison term, Bernama news agency reported.
Anwar, who has spent the past 22 months in prison, will now have to serve the remaining 16 months of his sentence behind bars.
There was no merit in Anwar’s application, the panel of judges reviewing his conviction said. After the ruling Anwar maintained his innocence, saying the court failed to address the issues raised by his defence team.
A file photo of a supporter of jailed opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, carrying a poster during a protest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 7, 2015. (Credit Image: © Ahmad Yusni/NurPhoto/ZUMA Wire)
The 69-year-old former opposition leader was expected to contest the country’s next general election in June 2018 if the review application was successful.
Earlier Wednesday, Anwar’s supporters gathered outside the courtroom in Putrajaya.
In June 2008, one of Anwar’s aides filed a police report claiming Anwar had sodomized him. Anwar denied the charges and provided medical reports that he said proved his innocence. The high court found him not guilty in June 2012.
Two years later the court of appeal changed the decision and in March 2014 Anwar was sentenced to five years in jail. In February 2015, the federal court upheld the five-year prison sentence.
-dpa
