When he was the prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi chose not to intervene in PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against his sodomy conviction in 2004, despite pressure from various parties for Abdullah to do so.

Abdullah also agreed to fast-track the issue of Anwar's passport upon his release so he can seek medical treatment abroad, and sent son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin as an emissary to inform Anwar's family of this decision.