THERE is a high chance that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim may be convicted of sodomy - his second in 10 years.
That was what Mr Mark Clark, then political counsellor at the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said in a 2009 confidential note to US authorities.
The note was part of a batch of confidential documents released by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.
The note said that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and the Umno elites might decide that the political cost of prosecuting Anwar was "acceptable" and pursue the matter aggressively in and out of court, reported Malaysiakini.
The cable said jailing Mr Anwar and removing him permanently from politics was the top priority.
"While asserting that this is purely a law enforcement matter, the government exerts political pressure as necessary, accepting reputational risks in the process, and achieves a conviction after months of high-profile drama in the courtroom," said the cable.
It was sent to the US State Department in Washington by Ambassador James Keith.
"The courts will hear and reject Anwar's appeals in an expedited manner, well ahead of the next national elections in 2012 or 2013," said the cable.
The leaked cable, titled Anwar Ibrahim Sodomy Trial II - A Primer, gave two other potential scenarios to the outcome of the court case.
Scenarios painted
The second scenario: The Malaysian government would proceed with the prosecution, but would not use pressure to achieve conviction because the trial itself would have done enough damage.
The third "plausible" scenario: The government might withdraw the case against the Permatang Pauh MP because the political cost would be too high or the Anwar threat had diminished, the cable said.
Mr Anwar's sodomy trial, now in its second year, will resume next month with further testimony from defence witnesses.
He is charged with sodomising his former political aide, Mr Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in a Kuala Lumpur condominium unit on June 26, 2008.
Another leaked US embassy cable talked about Mr Najib's wife, Ms Rosmah Mansor.
Dated three years ago, it said it was implausible that she was at the scene when Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered.
The Mongolian was the mistress of MrAbdul Razak Baginda, an associate of Mr Najib. Mr Abdul Razak was acquitted of charges of abetting her 2006 murder.
A Malaysian blogger alleged in a sworn statement that Ms Rosmah was at the scene of the killing trying to cover up the murder because it was linked to Mr Najib.
There was no proof to the allegations and the blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, fled the country after being charged with defamation.
The cable said that though baseless, the allegations "nevertheless will have resonance with a Malaysian public that does not have confidence in the integrity of the Altantuya murder investigation".
The leaked cable noted that political observers had remarked that Raja Petra had "put himself at great risk, and therefore they speculated that he must have some evidence in hand".
"If this is a bluff, it will cost him and his family, one MP remarked," added the confidential cable.
Raja Petra later distanced himself from the sworn statement.
