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Timeline: Anwar Ibrahim's rise and fall

Anwar
Anwar waves ahead of the July 10 appeal ruling  


Staff and wires

He was once being groomed to succeed Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, now he faces a future in prison. Follow the timeline of Anwar Ibrahim's life; from his beginnings as a student leader to the convictions for corruption and sodomy.

Aug. 10, 1947 - Anwar Ibrahim is born in the northern Malaysian island of Penang.

1974 - Anwar is arrested during an anti-government protest and spends 20 months in jail.

1981 - Mahathir Mohamad becomes president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and Malaysia's prime minister.

1982 - Anwar, the founding leader of youth Islamic organization called ABIM, shocks his liberal supporters by joining the UMNO.

1991 - Anwar moves up the political ranks and is appointed finance minister.

1993 - Anwar is made deputy to Mahathir.

April 1997 - Anwar holds the post of acting prime minister while Mahatir takes a two month holiday.

Anwar and Mahathir
Anwar (L), then deputy prime minister greets Mahathir (R) after the opening of the UMNO general assembly in September 1997  

June 1997 - Mahathir reverses several Anwar decisions, as Malaysia faces the Asian economic crisis.

Sept. 2, 1998 - Anwar is fired from the Cabinet, amid police reports that he is under investigation for sex and corruption allegations.

Sept. 20, 1998 - Anwar leads tens of thousands in a protest march in Kuala Lumpur demanding Mahathir's resignation. He is arrested hours later.

Sept. 29, 1998 - Bruised and with a black-eye, Anwar appears in court and pleads innocent to charges of sodomy and corruption. The national police chief later admits to beating him.

Nov. 2, 1998 - Anwar's trial begins. He faces four counts of corruption.

April 1, 1999 - The corruption court hearing ends.

April 14, 1999 - Anwar is sentenced to six years in prison.

June 6, 1999 - Trial for charges of sodomy opens.

Rally
Anwar leads tens of thousands in a protest march in Kuala Lumpur demanding Mahathir's resignation in 1998  

July 28, 1999 - Azizan Abu Bakar, Anwar's former family driver, tells the court he was sodomized up to 15 times by Anwar.

July 18, 2000 - Anwar's hearing ends after more than a year.

Aug. 8, 2000 - Anwar is found guilty and is sentenced to nine years prison for sodomy, to be served consecutive to his six year term for corruption.

Nov. 25, 2000 - Anwar is hospitalized for a spinal injury he claims resulted from the beating by police two years ago.

April 29, 2001 - Anwar's corruption conviction is upheld by Malaysia's Court of Appeal.

May 24, 2001 - Mahathir refuses to allow Anwar to leave the country for medical treatment for his spinal injury.

Feb. 6, 2002 - Anwar's lawyers request a longer appeal time.

April 2, 2002 - Anwar's final appeal against his corruption conviction concludes in the Federal Court.

June 25, 2002 - Deputy Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is officially named to succeed Mahathir in late 2003.

July 10, 2002 - Anwar loses his appeal against a corruption conviction.



 
 
 
 







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