The Straits Times, Singapore - MAR 10, 2000

KUALA LUMPUR -- Lawyers for former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday finished arguing his appeal against a corruption conviction, asking that he be acquitted or, at worst, jailed for a day and fined.

The defence told the Court of Appeal that Anwar, who began a six-year jail sentence last April, had been dealt an inordinately harsh punishment for an alleged act of corruption that did not involve money, property or shares. "We will be condemned by the world, the nation and posterity if such a decision is made to stand," Mr Christopher Fernando, one of his seven lawyers, told the court on the ninth and last day of hearings.

"If even in the unlikely event this appeal is disallowed, I would ask your lordships to adhere to your conscience to impose a sentence of at the most of one day and a fine," he said.

Datuk Lamin Yunus, who headed the three-judge bench, said the ruling would come later but he did not set a date. Anwar was convicted by the High Court on four counts of corruption. He allegedly ordered the police to cover up accusations of sexual misconduct brought against him by two people.

Prosecutors conceded that the case did not involve money or valuables, but contended that it involved abuse of power by a Cabinet minister, who was determined to spare himself the embarrassment of having his alleged sexual misconduct exposed.

Mr Fernando told the court that if it was true Anwar had tried to save himself from embarrassment, he would have acted more irrationally than to ask police to obtain retractions.

"He was accused of being a womaniser, a sexual pervert. These are very serious allegations that would anger a person, drive some lesser people to commit murder," he said.

Anwar was accused of sodomy by his family's former driver and of sexual misconduct by a woman. He is now on trial for sodomising the former driver. Mr Fernando said politicians arraigned for corruption were usually jailed for a day to two years, and fined up to RM1,800 (S$756).

Chief prosecutor Abdul Gani Patail said High Court Judge Augustine Paul was justified in imprisoning Anwar for six years as he had ignored repeated reminders to try and mitigate his punishment before sentencing.

But Mr Fernando said Anwar was too frustrated to fight on. -- Reuters