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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was released on bail Thursday after spending a night in custody over sodomy allegations that threaten to destroy his ambitions of seizing power.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who is mounting a comeback after being sacked and jailed on sodomy and corruption charges a decade ago, was arrested by balaclava-clad police commandos in dramatic scenes on Wednesday.
He has rejected the allegations levelled by 23-year-old former aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan as a conspiracy to prevent him from ousting the government, which was weakened by unprecedented losses in March elections.
Anwar's lawyer Sankara Nair said he had returned to his home, in severe pain due to an old back injury which was aggravated by spending a night in poor conditions at Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.
"He was lying on a slab of cement the whole of last night in a cell and he needs emergency medical treatment," Nair told AFP, adding that he required an injection to control the pain.
Reporters at Anwar's suburban home saw the opposition leader drive through the gates in a black four-wheel drive and officials said he would give a press conference at 2:00pm (0600 GMT).
Nair said that under the bail conditions, Anwar is required to report back to police on August 18.
Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is illegal in predominantly Muslim Malaysia and punishable by 20 years imprisonment.
Anwar's Keadilan party said that police commandos swooped on his vehicle as he approached his home on Wednesday, just an hour before he was due to appear voluntarily for interrogation.
He was taken to police headquarters and underwent a long questioning session before being taken to hospital for a medical examination, where his lawyers said he refused to give a DNA sample.
"We allowed a superficial medical exam but there was no DNA supplied. They already have Anwar's DNA samples from the last time," Nair said.
Malaysia's opposition hailed his release but said he should never have been arrested as he had already agreed to be questioned by police over the allegations.
"We are happy that he is released but we still maintain there is a conspiracy against him and we don't know what the government will do next," said Syed Husin Ali, deputy president of Keadilan which heads a three-member opposition alliance.
"We will not allow this detention and release to derail our original objective," he said, adding that the opposition was still intent on seizing power with the help of defectors from the ruling coalition.
In remarks certain to infuriate Malaysia's government, which has attacked Anwar as a "snitch" for the United States, the State Department said Wednesday that the arrest raised "serious concerns"
"We urge Malaysian authorities to resolve this matter in a manner that builds confidence in the impartial rule of law in Malaysia," spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.
Two US rights groups also expressed concerns about the arrest and said they hoped the investigation into the sodomy claims was not used as a political tool to silence him.
Malaysia earlier this month issued a formal protest to the United States over its earlier comments on the investigation into the sodomy allegations, accusing it of meddling in its internal affairs.
- AFP/yb
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