Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim will know o­n Friday whether the Appellate Court will allow his appeal to set aside the conviction and nine-year jail sentence for his sodomy offence.

His lawyer Sankara Nair told malaysiakini that he received a fax at 12pm from the court registry saying that the decision will be delivered at 10am o­n April 18.

Last Thursday, counsel completed their submissions before Court of Appeal judges Pajan Singh Gill, Hashim Mohd Yusof and Richard Malanjum who, in turn, reserved judgment so that they could consider all arguments.

Two scenarios

Anwar is appealing against High Court Judge Arifin Jaka's decision o­n Aug 8, 2000 to sentence him to nine years in jail for sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the former driver of Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The ex-deputy premier's co-accused Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja is also appealing against a conviction o­n the same charge. Sukma, an Indonesian national who is Anwar's adopted brother, was sentenced to six years jail and four strokes of the rotan.

The panel spent nine days hearing lengthy arguments from the defence led by Christopher Fernando and Karpal Singh ( photo ), and the prosecution led by the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail

They also heard Anwar's application for bail , seeking release o­n April 14, 2003 - the day he completed his six-year jail sentence for corrupt practice, minus o­ne-third remission for good behaviour. The court had also reserved its judgment o­n this.

If his appeal against the sodomy conviction and sentence is successful, Anwar can walk out a free man. If his appeal fails, Anwar hopes to be out o­n bail at least.

However, Sankara said he did not know if the court would also deliver its decision o­n Anwar's application for bail and to stay the nine-year jail sentence.

"The fax o­nly mentioned the appeal proper," he said. However, he agreed that if the appeal is allowed by the court, the bail issue would then become academic.

Sankara said he would inform Anwar of the latest development this afternoon when he visits the Sungai Buloh prison.

Call to supporters

Free Anwar Campaign director Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin today called o­n Anwar supporters to come to the court in full force to show their support for the o­nce high-flying politician.

"Even if the appeal is dismissed we still must press the court to consider the bail application," he stressed.

"The decision of the Court of Appeal is not final as Anwar can still proceed further to the Federal Court and there is no reason why he should be made to stay in jail pending the final outcome."

On Monday, at a gathering for prayers in conjunction with the end of his prison term for corruption, Anwar's supporters expressed disappointment that the court had failed to deliver its decision o­n bail o­n April 14 - the date his first prison sentence began.

Wan Azizah, who is also Keadilan president, said her husband warned that he might be in jail until 2012, serving all 15 years of the combined jail sentence for sodomy and corruption, if the people took such injustice passively.