This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-16463989
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Malaysia court finds Anwar Ibrahim not guilty of sodomy | Malaysia court finds Anwar Ibrahim not guilty of sodomy |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been acquitted of sodomy after a two-year trial. | Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been acquitted of sodomy after a two-year trial. |
| The ruling came as hundreds of Mr Anwar's supporters waited outside the court in Kuala Lumpur. | The ruling came as hundreds of Mr Anwar's supporters waited outside the court in Kuala Lumpur. |
| Mr Anwar, 64, has consistently denied the charges and called them a government bid to cripple his political ambitions and influence. | Mr Anwar, 64, has consistently denied the charges and called them a government bid to cripple his political ambitions and influence. |
| He was jailed for sodomy in 1999 but the conviction was overturned. Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. | He was jailed for sodomy in 1999 but the conviction was overturned. Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. |
| Mr Anwar had been accused of having sex with a former male aide. He had faced up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. | |
| But the judge ruled that the DNA evidence submitted by the prosecution was unreliable. | |
| "The court is always reluctant to convict on sexual offences without corroborative evidence. Therefore, the accused is acquitted and discharged," Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah said. | |
| Mr Anwar welcomed the verdict. | |
| "Thank God justice has prevailed," he told journalists. "I have been vindicated. To be honest, I am a little surprised." | |
| The allegations against Mr Anwar surfaced just months after elections in 2008, in which he led the opposition to unprecedented gains at the expense of the ruling party. | |
| This verdict comes ahead of elections widely expected later this year. | |
| Hundreds of police and security personnel were on the streets of Kuala Lumpur ahead of the verdict. |