Malaysia court reviews Anwar's corruption case
International Herald Tribune
September 8, 2004
Wayne Arnold 

Malaysia's highest court on Tuesday began reviewing the 1998 corruption conviction of Anwar Ibrahim in a move that could clear the way for the former deputy prime minister's return to politics.

"He wants to go back into politics immediately," said Sankara Nair, one of Anwar's attorneys in Kuala Lumpur. "This would clear him."

Anwar was released from prison last Thursday when his conviction on sodomy charges was overturned. He had already served his sentence for corruption and was less than a year into his sentence for sodomy when he was released. He left for Germany, where on Monday he had surgery to correct a back injury he says he suffered from the police during his detention.

The review is part of a last-ditch legal effort by Anwar to clear obstacles to his political comeback. Malaysian law prohibits former convicts from holding or running for political office for five years after they complete their sentences, which would bar Anwar from government until at least 2008.

Having already exhausted all his appeals, Anwar's lawyers asked the Federal Court to review its rejection in 2002 of Anwar's final appeal. On Tuesday, a three-member court panel dismissed objections by prosecutors that it had no jurisdiction and agreed to the review.

Lawyers for both sides will present their cases over the next few days, Nair said. If the panel decides in Anwar's favor, he said, it could either order a fresh appeal hearing or simply overturn Anwar's conviction altogether. If it decides against Anwar, he will have to wait in the wings until 2008.

Anwar and his supporters have long maintained that his arrest and trial were part of a political vendetta by former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. Mahathir resigned last October after 22 years in power and has since said he remained convinced of Anwar's guilt.

Mahathir's successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has brought a subtle but profound change to Malaysia's political atmosphere, cracking down on corruption, canceling costly infrastructure projects and rekindling confidence that the country is moving toward greater transparency and accountability. Many see the Federal Court's latest decisions as part of that new atmosphere.

This gives rise to the question of just how Anwar would fit back into a political picture in which Abdullah has replaced him. Abdullah and Anwar were both once rising stars in the governing party, the United Malays National Organization.

Anwar, 57, still enjoys widespread popularity in Malaysia.

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