Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim today urged Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah and Appeal Court president Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim to fix early hearings for his cases pending in their courts out of concern over possible government interference in the judiciary.

Anwar is seeking a review of the corruption conviction and appealing against the sodomy verdict dealt o­n him.

His lawyer Sankara Nair said in a press statement that Anwar had asked for letters to be delivered to the two judges after hearing a comment made by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in relation to the cases.

According to Nair, Anwar took exception to a remark made by Abdullah o­n Feb 14 that the former may apply to court for bail when his first sentence ends largely expected to fall o­n April 14.