Anwar, arrives in Germany, PM Badawi denies deal
Anwar, arrives in Germany, PM Badawi denies deal
Agence France-Presse, Munich, Germany/Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia's former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was
admitted on Sunday to a clinic in Munich, southern Germany, for
surgery, a spokeswoman there said.
"Mr. Anwar was admitted today," said the spokeswoman at the
Alpha-Klinik, which specializes in back and knee ailments. Anwar
will be treated there for a back injury he has blamed on
Malaysian police.
Anwar, 57, was released from prison in Malaysia last week
after six years behind bars on corruption charges. He was freed
when he won an surprise appeal on Thursday against a nine-year
sentence for sodomy.
He was sacked by former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad in
1998 and later sentenced to 15 years in jail on charges he said
were trumped up to prevent him mounting a challenge for the
premiership.
Aides said Anwar would undergo surgery on Monday to treat the
injury, a narrowing of spaces in the spine that results in
pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots, which he says was
caused by a police beating after his arrest in 1998.
The aides said the popular politician, who plans to return to
public life, plans to return to Malaysia in about three weeks if
the operation goes smoothly.
In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has
denied that he struck a deal with Anwar before the latter was
freed last week.
"I don't deal with anybody," Abdullah was quoted as saying by
several newspapers on Sunday, rejecting speculation that a
behind-the-scenes agreement prompted the Federal Court to
overturn Anwar's sodomy conviction.
"They (reports) are all speculation," he said.
Surprise over the court's decision sparked rumors 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 United Malays National Organisation
(UMNO).
Anwar, 57, a former vice-president of UMNO, and his wife Wan
Azizah Wan Ismail who heads the opposition National Justice Party
(Keadilan), have also strongly denied any deal.
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'. Abdullah provided the
political context in order for the judiciary to make their own
decision."