Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had his acquittal for sodomy overturned Friday, in a fresh threat to the remarkable career of a charismatic politician who helped turn around the country's once-hapless opposition. A Court of Appeals panel upheld a government bid challenging the 2012 ruling which acquitted him on charges he sodomised a male former aide, saying a lower court had misjudged evidence. Anwar, 66, was sentenced to five years in jail, but freed pending appeal.
Once a rising star in Malaysia's long-ruling party until his spectacular ouster in the late 1990s, Anwar has alleged a long-running campaign by the ruling regime to destroy his political career with false charges. He bitterly chastised the judges after the ruling. "It is a travesty of justice. I would have thought you would have some courage," he said to the panel. Friday's ruling sparked an uproar in a courtroom filled with Anwar's opposition colleagues and supporters, as his wife and three daughters burst into tears.
Comments
Comments are closed.