(7 Sep 2004) SHOTLIST
1. Various exteriors of Federal Court
2. Outside courtroom
3. Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, Nurul Izzah, walking into courtroom
4. Courtroom sign
5. Mid shots of Nurul Izzah outside courtroom
6. Anwar's legal team walking out of courtroom followed by others
7. Legal team talking to Nurul Izzah
8. Anwar's attorney Sankara Nair walking out of courtroom
9. SOUNDBITE (Malay followed by English) Sankara Nair, Anwar's second leading attorney:
"This morning we have started the argument on the technical issue of the judicial act that it was unconstitutional and because of this we brought out the judicial and argued under Article 44 that the judgement made by the previous court was unconstitutional."
10. Palace of justice
STORYLINE
Malaysia's highest court began an appeals hearing Tuesday that could erase the criminal record of the newly freed former deputy leader Anwar Ibrahim and allow him back into politics.
Meanwhile, Anwar, 57, was recovering from successful back surgery performed on Monday in Munich, Germany, to repair damage that he maintains was caused by a police beating in custody in 1998.
The three-judge panel of the Federal Court unanimously dismissed prosecution objections allowing a rare appeal of the court's earlier ruling that had upheld Anwar's conviction for corruption.
Anwar's attorneys immediately began arguing against the court's previous refusal to quash the conviction, issued when Anwar's foe, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, was still in office.
But the hearings adjourned until Wednesday after the lawyers disputed among themselves whether to attack the original conviction as a political conspiracy, or to stick to technical legal issues.
Anwar, contacted in Germany, gave the go-ahead to use the conspiracy theory, attorney Sankara Nair told reporters, but the legal team will need to inform the court of its final plans Wednesday.
If the conviction is eventually overturned, Anwar would be free of a five-year ban on former felons running for office or leading parties.
Anwar's daughter, Nurul Izzah, who attended the court session said that her father wanted to clear his name "more than anything else."
The courtroom manoeuvring came less than a week after a separate panel overturned a sodomy conviction and freed Anwar from six years in prison.
Anwar called both convictions a conspiracy to stop him challenging Mahathir for power in 1998.
Anwar remains a potent force in this Southeast Asian country. His ability to draw crowds is undiminished, and several thousand supporters who saw him off to Germany last weekend brought Kuala Lumpur International Airport to a standstill.
The popular Anwar has vowed to push for democratic reforms and would be a prize for any party he enters - the opposition group headed by his wife, Azizah Ismail, or the ruling United Malays National Organisation, where he was once deputy leader.
In Germany, Anwar's nearly two hour operation at the private Alpha Klinik for a slipped disc and spinal stenosis was successful and there were no complications, said Thomas Hoogland, head of the surgical team.
Hoogland said that Anwar's ailment was caused in part because he had few opportunities to walk around while in prison.
He added that Anwar was expected to need several weeks of rehabilitation.
Anwar was Malaysia's prime-minister-in-waiting when Mahathir, once his mentor, sacked him. Anwar led massive street protests calling for Mahathir's ouster and for democratic reforms.
He was arrested on national security grounds, tried for sodomy and corruption and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
