Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim terms 'sodomy' charges against him as 'blatant'

Kuala Lumpur, August 22 (ANI): Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has rejected sodomy charges against him and termed the allegations as 'blatant and vicious lie'.

Anwar submitted a 32-page statement in which he said his trial was a conspiracy by Prime Minister Najib Razak to send him into 'political oblivion'.

"I state, in no uncertain terms, that I have never had any sexual relations with the complainant, Mohd Saiful. Saiful's allegation is a blatant and vicious lie and will be proved to be so," Anwar was quoted, as telling the court by The Daily Star.

It is the second time that Anwar has faced sodomy charges . In 1998, he was convicted of sodomy and abuse of power, and although the sodomy conviction was later overturned, he spent six years in prison.

Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, is accused of sodomizing a former political aide Mohd Saiful in 2008 in a Kuala Lumpur apartment and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

"The court's integrity has been completely compromised and bears all the classic symptoms of a show trial where the script has been effectively written and the outcome a foregone conclusion," Anwar said.

"This is not a criminal trial. It is a charade staged by the powers that be to put me out of action in order that they remain in power," he added. (ANI)