Convicted again of sodomy, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told families and
supporters here to pray that he is robust enough to endure the five
years of prison that he was sentenced to by the Federal Court today. He
also said that he did not know where he will be incarcerated for the
duration of his sentence, as he bade them farewell before being led out
of the courtroom after sentencing. “For our future we have to be
patient, pray that I am in good health unlike the past,” he said when
addressing the gallery. “It is a price I have to pay for freedom of
justice.” An aide told reporters that Anwar will be allowed to have
lunch with friends and families before he is taken to prison. “My time
is up. I’ll miss you guys,” he tells supporters as he was led away by
bailiffs. Earlier, Anwar launched into a diatribe accusing the Federal
Court of being “partners in crime to the murder of the judiciary” and
staying on the “dark side” with its decision to uphold the Court of
Appeal decision to reverse his acquittal. The ruling by the Federal
Court today upholding an earlier Court of Appeal decision that reversed
Anwar’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhary Azlan
effectively ends the opposition leader’s legal options to challenge the
conviction. He now stands to lose his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat
as the law bars anyone fined over RM2,000 or imprisoned more than one
year from serving as a lawmaker. The decision also leaves the Pakatan
Rakyat federal opposition pact without a leader.
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