Anwar loses final appeal

Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday rejected jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim8217;s final appeal against a conviction fo...

Malaysia8217;s highest court on Wednesday rejected jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim8217;s final appeal against a conviction for abuse of power, provoking an angry response from Anwar who denounced the judges as 8216;8216;cowards8217;8217;.

The three-member panel of Federal Court judges also ruled that the six-year sentence imposed at the end of the 1999 trial, that the US and other Western governments branded as politically tainted, was not excessive. Anwar, sacked in 1998 after challenging Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and still fighting a nine-year sentence imposed in 2000 for sodomy, can now only hope for a royal pardon on the abuse of power conviction.

8216;8216;Suffice for me to say we are satisfied that the errors of law are not substantial. We therefore dismiss the appeal,8217;8217; Chief Justice Dzaiddin Abdullah told the court. The decision of the judges was unanimous.

Anwar, who suffers from a back injury he says was caused after his arrest, was present in court for the decision. He responded immediately, rising from his wheelchair to deliver a scathing attack on the judges, accusing them of being controlled by Mahathir.

8216;8216;Today8217;s verdict is a culmination of the travesty of justice and indeed is the darkest hour of the judiciary,8217;8217; he said, reading from a statement and ignoring orders from the bench to stop. 8216;8216;Never has the cowardice of so few been such a horrendous betrayal of the hope of so many.8217;8217;

Anwar, who was once Mahathir8217;s designated successor and has been declared a political prisoner by the US, faces the prospect of 15 years in jail as both sentences run consecutively.

The abuse of power conviction hinged on interference with a police probe into the sexual misconduct charge.

Story continues below this ad

Anwar denies any wrongdoing. Mahathir says Anwar8217;s trials were fair.

Several hundred well-wishers had gathered in a square outside the central Kuala Lumpur court. There were shouts of 8216;8216;Reformasi 8212; the rallying cry of Anwar8217;s supporters.

The former deputy premier, who fell out with Mahathir at the height of Asia8217;s financial crisis, was pessimistic about a royal pardon. 8216;8216;The king will act on the advice of the Prime Minister,8217;8217; he said before being led away. Reuters