KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday he was a victim of a conspiracy but was hopeful of winning an appeal against a conviction in an abuse case and five-year prison term that could stymie his political ambitions for good.
Anwar was the ruling party’s rising star in the mid-1990s before he fell out with then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Since then, Anwar has been beset by legal problems and spent several years in prison after being convicted of corruption and an earlier abuse charge. But the charismatic Anwar, who heads a three-party opposition alliance, remains the greatest threat to Malaysia’s political establishment.
“Based on the facts and the law, I see no other possibilities, no other options, except to acquit me of all these frivolous charges,” Anwar told supporters outside the court after his legal team wound up their arguments. Clear people can see now, with the evidence of fabrication, of conspiracy, of the powers that be,” he said.
His lawyers questioned DNA evidence. They said a DNA sample taken from a male former political aide who in 2008 accused Anwar of abusing him had taken 96 hours to reach a chemist and was contaminated and possibly tampered with. Reuters
