Anwar Ibrahim is officially a free and innocent man today after Istana Negara confirmed that the PKR de facto leader had been granted a full pardon.

Comptroller of the Royal Household Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, in a statement, said the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Muhammad V had acceded to the full pardon.

"The appeal for a full pardon for PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was presented and considered by the 51st Pardons Board meeting for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya on May 16, 2018.

"In line with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, on the advice of the Pardons Board, consents to grant a pardon and immediate freedom to Anwar Ibrahim effective from the date of the Pardons Board meeting," said Wan Ahmad Dahlan.

The appeal was made on grounds that there was a miscarriage of justice.
Without the pardon, Anwar would have only been released on June 8.

Following the full pardon, Anwar can now actively participate in politics.

However, his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also PKR president, has indicated that Anwar needed time to recuperate though he will support the current Pakatan Harapan government led by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir had said that he will stay on for two years before handing over the reins of government to Anwar.

Anwar was sent to jail for the second time in 2015 for sodomy, a charge he claimed was politically motivated.

He was jailed on a similar charge in 1999 when Mahathir was the fourth prime minister at the time.

He was released in 2004 when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir and the sodomy conviction was overturned.

However, a separate corruption charge was not overturned as Anwar had already served out the concurrent term for that.

Mahathir accused the sixth prime minister Najib Abdul Razak of corruption, including the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB scandal, and joined forces with the opposition three years ago to oust him.

Mahathir led Pakatan Harapan to end BN's 61 years in power in the May 9 general election and made a comeback as the nation's seventh prime minister.

Mahathir was present to greet Anwar when the latter arrived as Istana Negara this morning.

Anwar shook Mahathir's hand and they were seen exchanging greetings.

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