Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's fate hangs in balance ahead of a much-awaited verdict by the top court on his appeal against a sodomy conviction that might have strong repercussions on the country's political landscape.
The Federal Court will tomorrow give its much-awaited ruling on an appeal by Anwar on charges of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.
A five-member bench of the Federal Court, chaired by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, will announce the verdict on the opposition leader's final appeal against his conviction and five-year jail sentence to end the seven-year sodomy saga.
The judgement is the culmination of an eight-day hearing late last year, said to be the country's longest appeal hearing, after which the bench reserved its decision after presiding over submissions from Anwar's 15-strong defence team, led by lawyer and former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram.
The 68-year-old veteran politician - who is the most potent threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak - has maintained that he should be acquitted based on the facts and evidence presented in court.
Razak's party has ruled Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957 but faces declining support.
On January 9, 2012, the Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted Anwar of committing unnatural carnal intercourse against Saiful, 27, at a condominium here on June 26, 2008.
The court had ruled that the samples could have been compromised before they reached the Chemistry Department for analysis.
However, the Court of Appeal reversed the acquittal on March 7 last year and sentenced him to five years' jail, ruling that the lower court had erred in its finding that the integrity of the DNA samples in the case was compromised.
Anwar will lose his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat if his conviction and jail term is upheld.
Sodomy is punishable with imprisonment up to 20 years under the country's Penal Code.
This is the second sodomy charge against Anwar.
