The atmosphere was tense with Anwar Ibrahim looking at the possibility of having to spend the next three nights in prison after being slapped with a five-year sentence for Sodomy II this evening.

However, the Court of Appeal allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal with the Federal Court and ordered Anwar to post the RM10,000 bail by 11am on Monday.

Prior to sentencing, Anwar had described the development as deja vu.

"The 1998 incident is repeating itself... It is all over again, they want to put me in the lock-up. That is why they want to continue with the mitigation," added the 67-year-old politician.

        

When the Court of Appeal announced its verdict in upholding the prosecution’s appeal, Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the couple’s children, including Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah, could not hold back their tears.

Six years in prison

Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and later charged with sodomy and abuse of power.

After having spent six years in prison, he was released after the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction.

In 2008, he was charged with sodomy again. This time, following a police report lodged by his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Like the previous charge, Anwar has claimed that the current case is also a political conspiracy by his rivals.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal's decision this evening riled up his supporters who were gathered outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya.

The familiar chants of "Reformasi" and "Bebas Anwar" reverberated.