After a 78-day trial, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was found guilty Wednesday of four counts of corruption and sentenced to six years in prison. The verdict, which has triggered protests by Mr. Anwar's supporters, was condemned by the defendant and questioned by others around the world. Malaysian officials have defended the trial and its conclusion. Unfortunately, serious damage has been done to the country's international image. Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir may yet regret the chain of events he has set in motion.
Mr. Anwar, former finance minister, former deputy prime minister and Mr. Mahathir's heir apparent, was arrested Sept. 20 and charged with 10 counts of illegal sex and abuse of power, the latter stemming from his alleged attempts to cover up the accusations of sodomy. (Although the six remaining charges have not been heard, they are likely to be dropped since the government has already obtained a conviction.) Mr. Anwar appeared in court nine days after his arrest with bruises on his face that he claimed were the result of a police beating -- charges that were initially denied by Mr. Mahathir, but were confirmed by a subsequent official investigation.
The trial itself was a lurid spectacle. The court heard repeated allegations of sexual misconduct; at one point, a semen-smeared mattress was presented as evidence. The defense countered that the charges were the product of a political conspiracy at the highest levels of the Malaysian government, a line of defense that High Court Judge Augustine Paul would not let Mr. Anwar pursue. More astoundingly, after weeks of sordid testimony painting Mr. Anwar as a sexual deviant, Judge Paul ruled that that whole line of inquiry was irrelevant.