Anwar Ibrahim hospitalized

Anwar Ibrahim hospitalized

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Malaysia's sacked deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim, who was jailed for 15 years on corruption and sodomy
charges, was admitted to a Kuala Lumpur hospital on Saturday for
severe back pain, one of his lawyers said.

Sankaran Nair, who is among Anwar's nine-member defense team,
said Anwar was taken from Sungei Buloh prison and admitted to the
state- run Kuala Lumpur General Hospital on Saturday morning.

"He was admitted for suspected slipped disc. He's been
suffering this persistent pain since October," Nair told Deutsche
Presse- Agentur(DPA).

He said he was unable to say how long Anwar would be in
hospital, adding that the defense team would seek a postponement
of Anwar's appeal to be heard from Monday by the Federal Court.

Malaysia's highest court was to begin hearing Anwar's appeal
against a six-year jail term imposed last year after the Kuala
Lumpur High Court found him guilty of corruption.

Asked if the court could hear the appeal without Anwar's
presence, Nair said it could do so "legally, but we doubt they
will go ahead with the hearing".