Malaysian court upholds 5-year prison term for Anwar Ibrahim

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s highest court upheld a five-year prison term for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday after it rejected his appeal against a conviction for sodomy, handed down by a lower court last year.

Lawyers for the former deputy prime minister had appealed against the verdict handed down in March last year, when the 67-year-old was found guilty of sodomising a former political aide.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and the maximum punishment for the offence can be jail for up to 20 years. Reuters