Malaysian Court Upholds 5-Year Prison Term for Anwar Ibrahim
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Malaysia's highest court upheld a five-year prison term for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday after it rejected his appeal against a conviction for sodomy, handed down by a lower court last year.
Anwar, the ruling party's rising star in the mid-1990s before he fell out with then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, denied the charge that led to his second conviction for sodomy and said it was politically motivated.
"I will walk again for the third time into prison but rest assured that I will walk in with my head held high," Anwar said in a statement he read out in court.
"I maintain my innocence. This to me is a complete fabrication coming from a political conspiracy to stop my political career."
The charismatic Anwar, who heads a three-party opposition alliance, has for years been the greatest threat to Malaysia's political establishment, Reuters reported.
Prime Minister Najib Razak's government has rejected any suggestion of interference in the case.
"Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and there have been many rulings against senior government figures," the government said in a statement after the ruling.
A court found the 67-year old former deputy prime minister guilty in March last year of sodomizing a former political aide.
The conviction disqualifies him from political office and contesting the next election that must be held by 2018.
Hundreds of Anwar supporters, surrounded by dozens of police, earlier gathered outside the court in Kuala Lumpur waving party flags and shouting "Down with Barisan Nasional", referring to the coalition that has ruled since 1957.
The ruling may spark protests after opposition gains in a 2013 general election raised the possibility of a genuine challenge for the ruling coalition.
