Malaysian opposition leader Anwar freed on bail

Singapore, Jul 17 (UNI) Malaysian authorities have released opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on bail, after police recorded a statement on a sodomy charge filed against him.

Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair today said police has also given an assurance that he would not be remanded.

Mr Nair said currently no charge would be preferred against his client.

Anwar, the advisor of the opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat, was arrested yesterday following a police report by his former aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

The 23-year old Saiful had reported on June 28 alleging that the former deputy prime minister had sodomised him.

Anwar is suing Saiful for making a false report in connection with the sodomy incident, alleged to have occurred on June 26.

The former deputy prime minister was jailed ten years ago on a similar sodomy offence. But the Malaysian court later overturned the judgement and freed Anwar who is now ranked as the defacto Malaysian opposition leader challenging the government, offering Malaysian an alternative government to the five-decade old ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional, led by the United Malays National Organisation.

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