Agung Petitioned to Pardon Anwar

The Agence France-Presse

Malaysian king petitioned to pardon Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (AFP) - Malaysia's king has been petitioned to
grant a royal pardon to former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim which would
enable him to re-enter politics, a group of supporters said Thursday.

Anwar was heir apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad before
being sacked in 1998 and jailed on charges of corruption and sodomy,
which he said were cooked up to prevent him challenging Mahathir for the
premiership.

Malaysia's Federal Court overturned Anwar's sodomy conviction last
September, saying the charges could not be proved beyond reasonable
doubt and criticised the police and prosecution for their handling of the
case.

However, because of the corruption charge, which alleged Anwar abused
his power to cover up sexual misconduct, he is barred from standing for
public office until 2008 under laws covering convicted criminals.

The pardon, if it is granted, would allow Anwar to formally enter
politics immediately.

The group, which calls itself the Secretariat for Anwar's Pardon,
said in a statement that the petition had been submitted Wednesday to King
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin.

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife and leader of the opposition Parti
Rakyat Keadilan, said they were hopeful that the pardon would be
granted.

"If he gets a pardon then he will (be) in the political arena of
Malaysia. Now he cannot participate actively in politics, but with the pardon
he will definitely be able to do that," she told AFP.

She said the outcome would depend on Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who
took over when Mahathir retired in October 2003 and needs to make a
recommendation on the petition to the king, who holds a largely
ceremonial position.

Wan Azizah said she had no indication of whether the leader viewed the
request favourably.

The group argues that Anwar should be granted the pardon because of
abuse he suffered while in police custody and that the overturning of the second
conviction negates the corruption conviction.