Kuala Lumpur, March 7 (IANS): A Malaysian court Friday sentenced the country's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to five years in jail for sodomising his aide in 2008.
The three-man bench led by Justice Balia Yusof Wahi reversed his acquittal two years earlier by a court due to lack of evidence, the Star Online reported.
The court granted Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, a stay of execution of the sentence with a bail of 10,000 Malaysian Ringgit (about $3000) on one surety.
However, the court allowed Anwar to apply for bail by 11 a.m. Monday.
The court held that there were errors in finding evidence against him in 2012.
However, Ibrahim’s supporters claim the ruling is politically motivated and is aimed at ending his career.
Homosexuality is banned in this Muslim-majority southeast Asian country.