The wife of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim said today she would lead a campaign to seek his release next month o­n the fourth anniversary of his sentencing for corruption.

On April 14, Anwar would have served two-thirds of a six-year sentence he received in 1999 o­n the corruption charges and should be released o­n bail, said Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Prisoners in Malaysia get a o­ne-third remission of their jail sentence for good behaviour.

The campaign kicks off Friday with a meeting in Kuala Lumpur and will involve a series of meet-the-people sessions in the run-up to April 14 to explain why Anwar should be released, officials said.

Other events were being planned but organisers declined to divulge details for fear of a clampdown by the authorities.

The former heir apparent to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, however, still faces another nine years in jail after being convicted of sodomy in August 2000.

Released o­n bail

But supporters argued that Anwar could be released o­n bail and need not serve the second sentence until he had exhausted all legal avenues to appeal his sodomy conviction.

The Appeal Court will hear the case o­n March 24, and if Anwar fails there he can take his appeal to the highest court in the country, the Federal Court.

The campaign also coincides with a rare review o­n March 18 by the Federal Court of its earlier ruling refusing to overturn Anwar's conviction and sentence for corruption.

"We don't know what to expect from both the appeals but we believe that he should be released after serving two-thirds of the corruption sentence," Wan Azizah told AFP adding that her husband remained unwell with a back injury.

"Anwar is not getting any better but he always tell me to carry o­n the battle. We hope for the best but we have to be prepared for the worst."

Unlike the early years after Anwar's sacking and arrest in September 1998 when thousands marched in mass street protests, visible public support for Anwar has dwindled and many of his key aides have been detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Wan Azizah said anger over Anwar's case still simmered but a requirement for all civil servants to sign a loyalty pledge to the government kept a lid o­n vocal protests.

"People don't talk about it anymore because there is a kind of self censorship but the undercurrrent is still there. Anwar's case is o­ne of injustice and is still very close to people's hearts," she added. AFP