Analysis: Anwar trial tests judiciary

Mr Anwar: Symbol of simmering political discontent

By Kuala Lumpur correspondent Frances Harrison

The sex trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has ended after more than a year of lurid allegations and complicated legal disputes.

Mr Anwar, who is already in jail for misuse of power, faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty of sodomising his former driver in 1993.

Many believe the verdict on 4 August will be yet another test of the much maligned Malaysian judiciary.

Widespread concerns were expressed about the fairness of the first Anwar trial.

A recent report by four international legal bodies said amendments to the constitution introduced by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had tended to turn the Malaysian judiciary into an instrument of government.

Protests

But as the jailed leader of a coalition of Malaysian opposition parties, Mr Anwar remains a symbol of simmering political discontent in a country where many believe democratic institutions have been sacrificed to protect economic development.

More than 40% of Malaysians voted for the opposition parties in last year's general elections: a guilty verdict against Mr Anwar is likely to anger many of them.

After Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to six years in jail at the end of his first trial, there were violent clashes between opposition supporters and riot police on the streets of the Malaysian capital.

But an acquittal in this sex trial would be at the very least an embarrassment for Dr Mahathir, who has used his privileged position as prime minister on several occasions to accuse his former protege of indulging in homosexual activity - sometimes in graphic detail.