KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will remain a federal lawmaker and opposition leader pending the disposal of his last-minute petition for a royal pardon, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said today.

Pandikar said he has received a copy of the petition filed by Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong this evening.

“As a result, I may make a declaration of vacancy in Permatang Pauh, in line with Article 54 of the Federal Constitution, only once the Member of Parliament’s disqualification becomes effective based on Article 48 Clause 4 Paragraph C,” he said in a statement today.

Article 48 (4) (C) states that a lawmaker who files a petition for a royal pardon will not be barred from holding his post, following a sentence sufficient to merit disqualification, until the disposal of said petition.

Dr Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah unexpectedly filed the petition at Istana Negara today, after Anwar’s lawyers previously said they will not do so and will instead apply for a review of the decision under Rule 137 of the Federal Court Rules as a judicial review is not possible for a criminal conviction.

PKR leaders also said previously that Anwar would not apply for the pardon as doing so was tantamount to an admission of guilt to the charge he maintained was politically driven.

On February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling that reversed Anwar’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and sentenced the Permatang Pauh lawmaker to five years’ jail.