All parties should accept Federal Court's decision on Anwar Ibrahim's final appeal

All parties should accept the decision of the Federal Court tomorrow on the final appeal by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was found guilty by the Appeals Court for sodomising his former assistant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said this was because Malaysia had laws and all parties should accept them.

"This is a country that is ruled by law. Let the legal system determine. I have no say about this. Whatever they decide, is whatever they decide. We have to accept," he told reporters when asked to comment on the possible decision on the appeal by the opposition leader, here today.

He said anyone who committed a crime, regardless of position and status, should be punished if found guilty.

"It doesn't mean that because you are a big leader, you commit a crime, you should not be punished. You are all equal before the law. If you do something wrong, you should be punished in the same way," he said.

Dr Mahathir also said the public who followed the developments in Anwar's case should also accept whatever decision that would be made.

"So if the court feels that he is not guilty, we should just accept," he said.

Tomorrow, Anwar who was found guilty by the Appeals Court on a charge of sodomising his former assistant, will know if he will be imprisoned or not.

He will know his fate when the Federal Court decides on his final appeal on the charge and imprisonment sentence for sodomising his former assistant seven years ago.

The Appeals Court found Anwar, 67, guilty on a charge of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 27, at Unit 11-5-1, Desa Damansara Condominiums, in Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, here between 3.10 pm to 4.30 pm on June 26, 2008.

The charge under Section 377B of the Penal Code carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and caning, if found guilty.