PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he had been informed he would be formally charged with sodomy tomorrow - a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.
"They are charging me tomorrow. It's for sodomy," Anwar told AFP, adding that the authorities had informed him of the move in a letter.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who was jailed a decade ago on sodomy charges that were later overturned, faces new allegations by a 23-year-old aide, Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Anwar has rejected the accusations which he says have been fabricated to prevent him from toppling the government, after landmark March elections that handed the opposition an unprecedented one-third of parliamentary seats.
He announced last week he would contest a by-election for a seat vacated by his wife and earlier today the Election Commission announced the vote would be held on Aug 26.
The commission's chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said parties must nominate their candidates on Aug 16.
"During the by-election, it is important for all parties to follow the orders given by the security authorities and ensure peace and stability," he told reporters.
No comments:
Post a Comment