A COURT IN Kuala Lumpur has acquitted Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy charges after a two-year trial.

The New York Times reports the judge told the courtroom that DNA evidence provided by prosecutors could be unreliable and a conviction was not possible as there was a lack of corroborative evidence.

The 64-year-old politician has consistently denied the charges and following the trial he thanked God for the “great news”, adding that he was “finally vindicated”.

Sodomy is illegal in the Muslim-majority country but the BBC reports that few people are ever actually prosecuted.

Anwar had been accused of having sex with a former male aide and could have been imprisoned for up to 20 years if found guilty.

Following the verdict, he also said he was “pleasantly shocked”.

Anwar has claimed that the government is behind the accusations against him but the ruling party said the verdict proves that Malaysia’s judiciary is independent.

Rights groups have also criticised Malaysia for the trial, calling it an attempt to thwart Anwar’s challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.

New focus

This was not the first time that Anwar faced sodomy charges.

In 1998 – after being ousted as deputy prime minster - he was imprisoned for six years on charges of sodomising his former family driver and abusing his powers. However, the conviction was later quashed and he was released in 2004.

Then in the 2008 elections, Anwar’s party made unprecedented gains but his personal career took another turn when another former aide accused him of forcing him to have sex in an apartment.

Now that these charges have been discharged, Anwar says he is ready to focus on toppling the government in elections which are expected to be held later this year.

According to the BBC, he tweeted the following from his account:

In the coming election, voice of the people will be heard and this corrupt government will be toppled from its pedestals of power.”

Outside the courtroom

After the verdict was delivered today, police said that three small blasts caused by homemade explosives wounded five people on roads nearby. Officials had no suspects and it is still unclear if the two event are linked.

-Additional reporting by AP

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