KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be automatically disqualified as a Member of Parliament today as Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has reportedly not asked for a royal pardon for his release.
PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said Monday that the party's former leader, who had represented the Permatang Pauh constituency, had not issued instructions to ask for such a pardon, according to the Star.
Malaysia's Federal Court on Feb 10 upheld Anwar's five-year prison sentence on charges of sodomising his former aide Saiful Bahari Azlan in 2008, after rejecting his appeal. He had 14 days from that ruling to file a petition for pardon.
After his removal from his Parliament seat today, the Dewan Rakyat can inform the Election Commission that Anwar's seat is vacant and call for a by-election, the Star reported speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia saying.