Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied that he struck a deal with Anwar Ibrahim before the rebel politician was freed last week after nearly six years in jail.

"I don't deal with anybody," Abdullah was quoted as saying by several newspapers on Sunday, rejecting foreign reports that a behind-the-scenes agreement may have led the Federal Court to quash Anwar's sodomy conviction on Thursday.

"They are all speculation," he said.

Surprise over the court's decision sparked rumours that Anwar and Abdullah had made a deal under which he would be freed in return for either keeping a low political profile or returning to the fold of the ruling Umno.

Anwar, 57, a former deputy prime minister and vice-president of Umno, and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who heads the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat, have also strongly denied any deal.

"There was no deal done in the judgement today, absolutely no deal," Anwar said after the verdict. There was "no political wheeling and dealing," added his wife.

University of Malaysia political scientist P Ramasamy said he was inclined to believe the politicians.

"In Malaysia people always think there's something big, some conspiracy. I doubt it. I think it's a matter of Abdullah telling the judiciary 'You make the decision,'" he said.

"Abdullah provided the political context in order for the judiciary to make their own decision."

Still popular

Anwar flew out of Malaysia on Saturday night for surgery in Germany for a back injury he says was caused by a police beating after his September 1998 arrest, but attention is focused on his plans when he returns in about three weeks.

The crowd of several thousand who turned out at the airport to bid him farewell bore testimony to his continuing popularity and served as a reminder to the authorities of the massive street demonstrations after his arrest.

Much depends on another decision by the Federal Court, which is due today to consider reviewing its earlier rejection of Anwar's appeal against his separate conviction and six-year sentence for corruption - which he has already served.

Under Malaysian law, Anwar is banned from political activity for five years from the end of his sentence, but if the court overturns his corruption conviction he could make an immediate comeback.

Anwar's best chance of regaining a political leadership position lies in a return to Umno, analysts say. But they point out that it would be fraught with difficulty given the party's reputation for power struggles and infighting.

If he chooses instead to take over the leadership of Keadilan, he is likely to remain marginalised because Umno has led Malaysia's ruling coalition without serious challenge since independence from Britain in 1957.