“I will not accept any decision other than freedom”: Anwar

(NST) – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will not accept any decision by the Federal Court other than that of his freedom for his Sodomy II verdict tomorrow.

Speaking to a crowd of about 2,000 people at a gathering of his supporters at Padang Timur here today, Anwar said he was innocent and would fight against any corrupted and racist system in the country.

“When I was repeatedly asked by international news, what would happen if I was sent to jail… I said to them what for?

“Why on earth can anyone send a person to jail for a crime he or she did not commit?

“I am innocent. I will not accept any other decision except freedom.”

He said he was offered safe haven in Indonesia and Turkey by leaders in those countries but decided to remain in Malaysia to face the court’s verdict.

He claimed that the handling of his case was not according to the rule of law and that there were no evidences or eyewitnesses against him.

Anwar said whether he was jailed or walked away a free man, the Pakatan coalition would continue to serve and take care of the people.

“If (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) can guarantee that the people are taken care of and corruption is put to a stop, I would not mind going to jail for six months,” he added.

The de facto PKR leader was charged for allegedly sodomising his former political aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in a condominium at Bukit Damansara, on June 26, 2008.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court had acquitted Anwar in 2012, but the decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal last year, sentencing him to a five-year jail term.

A five-man bench of the Federal Court, chaired by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria, will tomorrow announce the verdict on Anwar’s final appeal against his conviction.