Anwar Ibrahim imprisoned for five years by Malaysian court for sodomy

Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader has been reportedly sentenced to five years jail term by a Malaysian court on charges of sodomy.

The court decision comes as Ibrahim plans to contest a by-election that would make him the Selangor's chief minister, if he wins.

In wake of the court's decision, Anwar said that after 15 years, they wanted to put him in the lockup and that is why they were rushing, adding that Prime Minister Najib Razak's government faced the wrath of the people.

According to the BBC, Ibrahim was charged with sodomy and corruption, and given a six-year jail term for abuse of power in 1998, which led to huge street protests.

The opposition leader was found guilty of sodomy with his wife's driver and was jailed for nine years, before he was finally acquitted off the charges in 2004 after Malaysia's Supreme Court overturned the sodomy conviction.

Meanwhile, the court said that Ibrahim could stay out of jail on bail while he appealed against the verdict to the country's highest court.