PETALING JAYA, Feb 10 — PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said tonight that it was still too early to decide who should contest Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, which is expected to be vacated following the Opposition Leader’s sodomy conviction.
“Too premature,” his wife said when asked to comment on the matter here.
The Federal Court had this afternoon sentenced Anwar to five years’ jail, upholding an earlier Court of Appeal decision that reversed the leader’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan
The decision effectively ends the Opposition Leader’s legal options to challenge the conviction.
With the jail sentence, Anwar now stands to lose his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat as the law bars anyone fined over RM2,000 or imprisoned more than one year from serving as a lawmaker, unless a free pardon is granted.
Earlier today, Anwar’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said the Opposition Leader might not necessarily be disqualified as a federal lawmaker despite his conviction for sodomy.
Gobind said Anwar’s seat would only have to be vacated after all avenues to appeal have “lapsed.”
“I am a bit cautious when I say this, that there is still that avenue (of appeal),” the lawyer told reporters.
According to Gobind, one of Anwar’s available options is to seek a royal pardon on the matter, as well as a judicial review of the federal court decision.
“Once we have studied the judgment, we will decide… I cannot speak more for now,” the Puchong MP added.
