Anwar Guilty on Sex ChargeThe former Malaysian deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of sodomy following a sensational 14-month court battle.This term will be added to a six-year jail sentence he was given in 1999 for abusing his powers while in government. Anwar has described both charges as fabrications intended to remove him as a political rival to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose administration is alleged by him to be riddled with corruption. He has confirmed he will appeal, but the new ruling effectively ends his political career. The court action began after Anwar was suddenly sacked from the cabinet in 1998 and charged with a series of crimes. The latest concerned allegations that Anwar and his adopted brother, also on trial and found guilty, forcibly sodomised their family driver Azizan Abu Bakar in 1993. |
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