An organisation comprising eminent lawyers today urged the Malaysian Federal Court - the country's highest court - to deliver its judgment expeditiously on the appeal of jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"We are concerned that the court vacated the date fixed for delivering the judgment, July 22, without providing any reasons whatsoever and without fixing another date," said Linda Besharaty-Movaed, legal advisor for the Centre on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists.

"This is particularly worrying as Anwar continues to be held in detention where his health is reportedly deteriorating."

Anwar was rushed to hospital from prison earlier this month due to complications from a slipped spinal disc, a pre-existing condition which he said was aggravated by a vicious beating by the ex-police chief after his arrest in 1998.

He has been asking the government to allow him to seek proper treatment in Germany, a request which has been repeatedly rejected by the government. He is expected to remain hospitalised indefinitely.

His family has warned that Anwar's back injury could leave him paralysed if it is not attended to soon.

Anwar is appealing against a High Court decision on Aug 8, 2000, which convicted him and adopted brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja of sodomising the jailed politician's former family driver Azizan Abu Bakar.

Their application to the Court of Appeal was rejected on April 18 last year.

The appeal will be Anwar's last chance to have his nine-year sentence quashed, on the grounds that the conduct of the trial four years ago was deeply flawed.

A three-man Federal Court bench comprising Justices Abdul Hamid Mohamad, Rahman Hussein and Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud heard extensive submissions from lawyers two months ago.

After hearing the appeal on May 20, the judges said that they would announce their decision soon.

"I promise we will sit down, work hard uninterruptedly and we will give the decision as soon as possible," Abdul Hamid told Anwar.

However, in a surprise move, five days after the court set July 22 to announce its decision, this was put off indefinitely.

The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists - comprising 60 distinguished lawyers including senior judges, attorneys and academics, dedicated to ensuring respect for international human rights standards through the law - had send a representative to observe the appeal hearing in May.

Corruption appeal

Meanwhile, the Federal Court has separately fixed Aug 10 to hear Anwar's application to review its own decision on the ex-deputy premier's conviction and sentence for corruption.

He is seeking to overturn the four counts of conviction of "corrupt practices" in tampering with the police investigation into allegations of his sexual misconduct.

Anwar had filed the application in August 2002, requesting the Federal Court to review its own decision, which upheld the April 14, 1999 High Court verdict that found him guilty of corruption.

Its three-member panel - then Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah ( photo ), Sabah and Sarawak Chief judge Steve Shim and Justice Haidar Mohd Nor (now the Chief Judge of Malaya) - had backed the decision by High Court judge S Augustine Paul (now a Court of Appeal judge) to sentence Anwar to six years' jail for corrupt practice.

While there is no other avenue for appeal against a decision by the Federal Court, aggrieved parties can apply to the same court for a review of its own decision under a new set of judges.

The last time the application for the Federal Court review was mentioned was more than a year ago - on March 18 last year - when the court adjourned the case, following a request by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail for a five-member panel, instead of three, to hear the application.

Anwar, who was sacked in 1998 by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence in Selangor's Sungai Buloh prison.

He has completed his sentence for his first conviction for corruption, and is currently serving the nine-year sentence for sodomy.