Malaysia's former deputy PM Anwar found guilty of sodomy in sex trial

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia --Malaysia's former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was found guilty of sodomy on Tuesday bringing an end to his long-running trial and adding up to 20 years to his six-year sentence for corruption.

High Court Judge Arifin Jaka found both Anwar and his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, 39, guilty of the sodomy charges in the trial which had divided Malaysia.

Anwar was charged jointly with his adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan, of sodomizing Azizan Abu Bakar, the Anwar family's former driver, one night in 1993.

Anwar, who turns 53 on Thursday, will be spared a whipping - - another penalty for sodomy conviction -- due to his age.

VIDEO CNN's Kasra Naji reports on the background to the trial Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO CNN's Kasra Naji expresses his opinion on the general feeling in Malaysia about the Anwar verdict 594k/26 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     QUICK VOTE Do you think Anwar Ibrahim has received a fair trial in Malaysia on the various charges against him? Yes No View Results

Whipping in prisons is limited to those aged 49 and below. Anwar was expected to be sentenced later Tuesday. Under Malaysian law, sodomy is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Hundreds of riot police deployed outside Kuala Lumpur's main courthouse Tuesday ahead of the scheduled verdict in the sodomy trial against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Ahead of the verdict, Anwar was driven from his prison to the courthouse in a convoy of police jeeps with darkened windows. He waved to photographers as he was brought into the courthouse, raised his right fist and smiled.

No large numbers of protesters were in evidence to support Anwar, who has called the charges against him a fraud orchestrated by his former mentor, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, to destroy him politically.

The verdict had originally been scheduled for last Friday but was postponed. About 500 people turned out Friday nonetheless to protest what they see as injustice against Anwar. But they were unable to muster such numbers again, given less than 24 hours notice that the verdict would be read Tuesday.

Riot police on standby

Police were out in force on Tuesday regardless, patrolling on foot with riot shields. Many more were sitting in buses parked alongside the courthouse, ready to go into action if needed. A helicopter circled overhead and fire trucks with water cannon were on standby.

Tuesday's judgment ended a yearlong trial, the second for Anwar since he was fired by Mahathir in 1998. It has raised concerns about the fairness of Malaysia's judiciary, the country's overall human rights record and Mahathir's determination to continue his 19-year rule, the longest in Asia.

Judge Ariffin Jaka has presided over the trial since June 1999.

The guilty verdict could remove Anwar, a high-profile figure on the international stage in the years he was Mahathir's heir-apparent, from public gaze until his old age and dash his ambitions to someday become prime minister.

Anwar's corruption conviction last year means he is barred from politics for a further five years after his release.

The corruption and sodomy allegations were leveled against Anwar shortly after Mahathir abruptly fired him in September 1998, triggering Anwar to call for reform of an entrenched political system that he said was corrupt and beset with cronyism. The two men had increasingly disagreed over how to handle the Asian economic crisis.

People power

The sacking brought some 30,000 people into the normally placid streets of Kuala Lumpur to support Anwar in the biggest displays of public protest in recent memory. Anwar was arrested and was beaten in custody by the chief of the national police, fueling public anger at the government.

At the time, Mahathir called Anwar a sexual deviant unfit to hold office. A guilty verdict in the sodomy case has been seen as a necessary legal endorsement for the prime minister's actions in removing his deputy.

But Anwar and his allies have said the prosecution has been stage-managed to eliminate his challenge and crush his movement for more liberal politics in the predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian nation.

Most opposition politicians and many analysts had predicted Anwar would be found guilty, though the case rested largely on the testimony of the driver, Azizan, who twice changed the year that the alleged sodomy occurred when confronted with evidence that weakened his case.

Opposition activists have said a guilty verdict would not vindicate Mahathir but merely highlight his ruthlessness in quashing his political enemies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Malaysian court delays verdict in Anwar's sodomy trial
August 3, 2000
Asiaweek: All Over But the Verdict
July 28, 2000
Judge sets verdict date for Malaysia's Anwar
July 18, 2000
Malaysian judge adjourns Anwar's sodomy trial
February 21, 2000

The Free Anwar Campaign
Malaysia Prime Minister's Office
Official Anwar Ibrahim's Online Resources
CIA World Factbook: Malaysia
Malaysia's Political Resources
Malaysia : Government and Politics

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