-- He had a meteoric political rise under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who invited him to join Malaysia's ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) - (Reuters) - Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim has been freed on police bail, his lawyers said on Thursday, but they added he could still be charged for sodomy later.
Following are some key facts about Anwar Ibrahim.
* EARLY LIFE:
-- Born on August 10, 1947, Anwar made his name as an Islamic youth leader when he led anti-government demonstrations against impoverished conditions in the north of the country in the mid-1970s.
-- He had a meteoric political rise under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who invited him to join Malaysia's ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in 1982.
-- He was Deputy Prime Minister from 1993-1998 and Minister of Finance from 1991-1998. But Mahathir's long-celebrated heir apparent had a disastrous falling out with his mentor.
* THE DOWNFALL:
-- Tensions between Mahathir and Anwar escalated in 1998 when Anwar denounced cronyism. He took up a campaign against the alleged corruption and nepotism which he said characterised Malaysia's business and political elite.
-- Mahathir sacked his deputy in September 1998 as differences grew, calling him unfit to be leader. Anwar was arrested later in the month after leading 30,000 anti-government protesters through the capital and was charged with sodomy and corruption. Images of Anwar appearing in court with a black eye and bruises sparked international outrage.
* IMPRISONMENT:
-- Anwar was sentenced to six years' jail in April 1999 for abuse of power and received a second, consecutive nine-year prison term in August 2000, on a sodomy charge.
-- He was freed from jail in September 2004 when the Federal Court quashed the sodomy charges, but was still banned from legally seeking office until April 2008.
-- Anwar's Keadilan and its allies made historic gains in the March 2008 general election, winning five of 13 state governments and coming within 30 seats of taking control of the 222-member parliament.
* FRESH CHARGES:
Following are some key facts about Anwar Ibrahim.
* EARLY LIFE:
-- Born on August 10, 1947, Anwar made his name as an Islamic youth leader when he led anti-government demonstrations against impoverished conditions in the north of the country in the mid-1970s.
-- He had a meteoric political rise under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who invited him to join Malaysia's ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in 1982.
-- He was Deputy Prime Minister from 1993-1998 and Minister of Finance from 1991-1998. But Mahathir's long-celebrated heir apparent had a disastrous falling out with his mentor.
* THE DOWNFALL:
-- Tensions between Mahathir and Anwar escalated in 1998 when Anwar denounced cronyism. He took up a campaign against the alleged corruption and nepotism which he said characterised Malaysia's business and political elite.
-- Mahathir sacked his deputy in September 1998 as differences grew, calling him unfit to be leader. Anwar was arrested later in the month after leading 30,000 anti-government protesters through the capital and was charged with sodomy and corruption. Images of Anwar appearing in court with a black eye and bruises sparked international outrage.
* IMPRISONMENT:
-- Anwar was sentenced to six years' jail in April 1999 for abuse of power and received a second, consecutive nine-year prison term in August 2000, on a sodomy charge.
-- He was freed from jail in September 2004 when the Federal Court quashed the sodomy charges, but was still banned from legally seeking office until April 2008.
-- Anwar's Keadilan and its allies made historic gains in the March 2008 general election, winning five of 13 state governments and coming within 30 seats of taking control of the 222-member parliament.
* FRESH CHARGES:
-- Just three months after being allowed to run for office again, he faced fresh sodomy charges on June 29 and took refuge in the Turkish embassy, claiming he feared for his life.
-- The allegations came from a former aide, who made a police complaint. Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.
-- Anwar, who is eyeing the country's top job, had been planning to contest a parliamentary by-election when the allegations surfaced. He has said the sodomy charge is a political ploy aimed at destroying the opposition.
-- The allegations came from a former aide, who made a police complaint. Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison in mainly Muslim Malaysia.
-- Anwar, who is eyeing the country's top job, had been planning to contest a parliamentary by-election when the allegations surfaced. He has said the sodomy charge is a political ploy aimed at destroying the opposition.
Jijo Jacob, Gillian Murdoch & Jeremy Laurence
Yahoo News
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