Presidential Council To Decide On PR’s Direction If Sodomy Conviction Upheld

(Bernama) – Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) Presidential Council will hold an emergency meeting to determine the opposition pact’s direction if the Federal Court does not rule in his favour on his appeal over his conviction for sodomy, said opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“DAP secretary-general has proposed for such a meeting in the event this happens,” he told a press conference after opening a road upgrading and flood mitigation project in Permatang Pauh near here yesterday.

Anwar, who is also PKR de facto leader and MP for Permatang Pauh, said it would not be a big problem for PR if the Federal Court’s decision went against him as the pact already had in place a common manifesto, agenda and policies.

“Why punish me, I have not done anything wrong,” he said.

His appeal to the Federal Court concluded on Friday.

The five-man panel hearing the appeal headed by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria has reserved judgement to a later date.

The High Court had acquitted Anwar from the charge but the decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal on March 7 this year and he was handed a five-year jail sentence.

The Court of Appeal found Anwar guilty of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 27, at Unit 11-5-1, Kondominium Desa Damansara in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm, and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.