Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has had a roller-coaster political career - sacked as deputy premier, jailed on corruption and sodomy charges, and then returning to the political stage.

Here is a chronology of recent events:

wan azizah resign permatang pauh by election for anwar 310708 03 Sept 1998: Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy to prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is sacked and slapped with sodomy and corruption charges that he said were politically motivated.

April 1999: Found guilty of corruption and sentenced to six years in jail.

August 2000: Found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to nine years in prison.

September 2004: Released after the Federal Court - the country's highest court - overturns sodomy conviction.

March 2008: Leads a resurgent opposition to stunning victories in general elections, seizing five states and a third of parliamentary seats.

April 2008: Ban on holding public office, relating to his corruption conviction, expires.

June 2008: Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old who was a volunteer at his office, lodges a police report claiming Anwar sodomised him.

July 16, 2008: Anwar arrested amid a tussle over fixing a date for police interrogation, and spends night in custody before being released.

July 31: Announces he will contest parliament by-election for the Permatang Pauh consituency in his home state of Penang, after his wife resigns the seat to make way for him.

Aug 6: Anwar says he will be charged with sodomy the following day. Election Commission officials announce Aug 26 by-election date.

- AFP