Malaysia: Anwar begins corruption appeal

Malaysia’s jailed former deputy leader Anwar Ibrahim today attacked the testimony of key prosecution witnesses as he launched his final appeal against a corruption conviction he claims was politically engineered.

As about 100 supporters outside the court shouted slogans against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar’s lawyers opened their case - the former deputy prime minister’s final legal avenue to overturn the conviction and a six-year prison term.

Outside the Federal Court in central Kuala Lumpur, demonstrators waved posters of Anwar and shouted ‘‘Reformasi!’’ and ‘‘Up, up Anwar; down, down Mahathir!’’ as more than 100 police - some in riot gear backed by three trucks mounted with water cannons stood guard. There were no clashes.

Inside, Anwar’s lawyers told a three-judge panel led by Malaysia’s chief justice Mohamad Dzaiddin Abdullah they would show that evidence in the original trial was tainted.

‘‘The fact that evidence was given under oath matters little if it can be proven that the evidence cannot be accepted,’’ lead council Raja Aziz Addruse said. ‘‘There must be certain evidence that justifies criminal conviction.’’

For example, testimony from two top officials in the police special investigations branch ‘‘lacked credibility altogether,’’ Raja Aziz said.

Anwar is serving prison terms totalling 15 years for corruption and sodomy, charges he claims were part of a conspiracy to prevent him from challenging his one-time mentor, Mahathir, for power. The government denies any conspiracy.

Mahathir, who has ruled Malaysia since 1981, fired Anwar in 1998 amid differences about how Malaysia should handle the regional economic crisis.

Anwar held a series of rallies which drew tens of thousands of people calling for sweeping government reform.

Anwar was arrested in September of 1998 and charged with abuse of power and sodomy, a crime in mostly Muslim Malaysia.

He was convicted of corruption in April 1999 and sentenced to six years in prison. At a separate trial, he was convicted of sodomy and sentenced in August 2000 to a further nine years.

Anwar is appealing against the sodomy conviction, but no hearing date has been scheduled.

Critics in Malaysia and abroad questioned the impartiality of the judicial process at Anwar’s trials, which were conducted as huge pro-reform demonstrations continued in the streets.

Today, Anwar was assisted by police from Sungai Buloh prison as he entered the courtroom in a wheelchair and wearing braces around his neck and waist.

He has been hobbled since November 2000 by a spine injury that he refuses to have operated on unless he can travel overseas for surgery.

The appearance was Anwar’s first in court since August 2000.