Malaysian court dismisses Anwar's appeal on lawsuit

Malaysian court dismisses Anwar's appeal on lawsuit

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): A Malaysian court dismissed on Saturday an appeal by jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim against a High Court decision striking out his US$26- million lawsuit against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

"The court has dismissed the appeal with costs," Sankara Nair, Anwar's lawyer, told Reuters by telephone.

The national Bernama news agency said the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the High Court striking out the multi- million dollar defamation lawsuit against Mahathir.

Anwar, who has been in hospital since Nov. 25 with a slipped disc, was not present in the court when the verdict was delivered.

Anwar had filed the 100-million-ringgit ($26-million) suit in January 1999, accusing Mahathir, who sacked him on Sep. 2 1998, of slandering him at a news conference held two days after his arrest.

At a news conference on Sep. 22, 1998, Mahathir detailed for the world media alleged sexual acts by his former deputy.

Mahathir has said the alleged defamatory words were made in his capacity as prime minister on an occasion of qualified privilege and denied they were meant to disparage Anwar.

"We still can appeal in the Federal Court," Nair said, adding the lawyers would decide on the appeal after talking to Anwar.

Anwar is serving a six-year jail sentence for corruption. In August, he was sentenced to a consecutive nine-year term for sodomy.

Anwar is also appealing against the sodomy conviction but a date for that hearing has not been set.

The Federal Court, Malaysia's highest court, which was scheduled to hear Anwar's appeal against the corruption conviction on Dec. 11, postponed the hearing on the request of his lawyers.

Anwar's lawyers had asked the court to delay his appeal due to worsening back ailment.