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Appeal court to rule Saturday on Anwar's corruption conviction

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (AFP) - Malaysia's appeal court will rule on Saturday on whether to overturn ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's conviction last year for abuse of power, his lawyer said Wednesday.
The three-member appeal panel has set Saturday to deliver their verdict after hearing an appeal by Anwar earlier this year, defence counsel Sankara Nair told AFP.

On March 9, the panel led by Court of Appeal president Lamin Yunos reserved judgement after a nine-day hearing to analyse lengthy submissions by prosecutors and the defence.

Anwar, sacked in September 1998, has appealed against his conviction in April 1999 for four counts of corruption -- abusing his official powers to quash allegations of sexual misconduct -- and a six-year jail term.

He is now on trial for sodomy, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Anwar, 52, says he is the victim of a high-level conspiracy because he intended to expose corruption and was seen as a political threat to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.