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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.