Anwar blasts Malaysian court

Anwar has reached the limit of the appeals process. A royal pardon is now his only option

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has launched a scathing attack against Malaysia's highest court after it refused to overturn his conviction.

After losing his final appeal Wednesday against a corruption conviction, Anwar blasted the court and his old rival and one-time patron Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

"The judiciary has been emasculated and bludgeoned into submission at the hands of Dr. Mahathir," said Anwar. "I wish Dr. Mahathir good luck. He has nothing left to destroy."

Anwar was sacked after challenging Mahathir in 1998. Along with serving a six-year term for abuse of power, he is also serving a separate nine-year term for sodomy.

The trials have been branded as politically tainted by some Western governments, including the United States, who considers Anwar a political prisoner.

Anwar has long claimed he was the victim of trumped up charges to stop him from challenging Mahathir, and has called it a political conspiracy.

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But the three-judge panel of Malaysia's highest court dismissed Anwar's last-ditch appeal, ruling unanimously against him.

"We are satisfied that the errors complained of have not occasioned a substantial miscarriage of justice," said Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah. "We therefore dismiss the appeal."

'No guts'

Anwar rose from his wheelchair and lambasted the judges and Mahathir, who had groomed him as his successor but fired him in 1998, touching off the Southeast Asian country's biggest political crisis in years.

Wednesday's verdict means that Anwar has now reached the limit of the appeals process. A royal pardon is now his only option.

About 300 well-wishers gathered outside the Kuala Lumpur courthouse, shouting "Reformasi," the rallying cry of Anwar's supporters. One man was arrested, according to media reports.

The crowd marched to a police station and lodged a legal complaint demanding a probe into their allegations the chief justice rejected the appeal to further his career.

While Dzaiddin has tried to make the Federal Court more independent since taking office a year ago, Anwar also directed an outburst at him, calling the appeal dismissal the "darkest hour of the judiciary."

"Your predecessor at least made no pretense of being spineless (and) under Dr. Mahathir's complete control," Anwar said.

"You, on the other hand, put up a charade of impartiality, professing an ardent desire to restore confidence in the judiciary."

Sodomy offense

Before being escorted back to prison, Anwar told reporters "Dr. Mahathir has no courage, no guts to face me. The international community should make a stand on this."

The corruption case hinged on whether Anwar abused his power to get forced retractions from people accusing him of sodomy and adultery.

The government denies a judicial conspiracy, but the trials have been condemned as unfair. Key witnesses changed testimony and one policeman acknowledged he would lie under oath if ordered, according to wire reports.

The verdict merely throws the spotlight on the independence of Malaysia's judiciary, says K Kabilan, news editor for Malaysiakini.com.

Anwar's lawyers called the verdict a "travesty," but his daughter, Nurul Izzah, said it was expected: "It shows that Dr. Mahathir's rule of law is still supreme."

Mahathir, 76, tearfully declared his intention to resign last month. Under appeals by supporters, he agreed to stay and will hand power to his current deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, next year.