KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police seized handbags and few other personal items from the home of former prime minister Najib Razak in connection with a money laundering probe, a lawyer of the ex-leader said on Thursday.

At least a dozen armed policemen entered Najib’s home late on Wednesday after he returned from prayers at a mosque, Reuters witnesses said.

The search lasted for over six hours during which officers were seen taking large bags into the house and later loading them into a truck.

“The search is supposed to be under money laundering act ... they found nothing incriminating,” Najib’s lawyer Harpal Singh Grewal told reporters who were camped outside the house.

He said the police took some personal possessions including a couple of handbags.

“Nothing serious. About two, three boxes” of them, Harpal said.

When asked whether Najib would be arrested, he said: “There is no indication that they (the police) will do it.”

Several dozen policemen were also seen at a luxury condominium in another district of Kuala Lumpur, where Najib has an apartment.

A police spokeswoman could not be contacted for comment.

Related Coverage Malaysian police say searching five properties linked to ousted PM Najib

Najib’s long-ruling political coalition was defeated in a general election last week. Just days later, new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad barred Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, from leaving the country.

Mahathir, 92, has said there is sufficient evidence to investigate a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by Najib.

Once Mahathir’s protégé, Najib denied any wrongdoing.

1MDB INVESTIGATED

The scandal is being investigated by police in at least six countries, including the United States.

Mahathir has replaced the country’s attorney-general and officials at the anti-graft agency, in what appears to be a purge of people seen as close to the former premier.

Earlier on Wednesday, jailed reformist Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon and freed, underlining the dramatic changes in the Southeast Asian country in the last seven days.

Anwar teamed up with Mahathir, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, to oust Najib. The relationship between the two remains volatile, however, and will likely determine what course Malaysia will chart in the coming months.

Anwar, 70, said he would like to take time off with his family and did not intend to join the cabinet anytime soon. He said he would support the government led by Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is Anwar’s wife.

FILE PHOTO: Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak prays before he attends the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) 72th anniversary celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

“I’ve told Tun Mahathir, I don’t need to serve in the cabinet for now,” Anwar said, using an honorific for the prime minister.

FORGIVEN

Anwar was Mahathir’s deputy in the 1990s, but fell out with his mentor during the 1997-99 Asian financial crisis.

He was eventually sacked from the ruling party and founded the Reformasi (Reform) movement, challenging Mahathir’s government. Within weeks, he was arrested and jailed on disputed charges of sodomy and corruption.

Images at the time of a goateed, bespectacled Anwar in court with a black eye and bruises brought condemnation of Mahathir from around the world.

Anwar’s trial became a spectacle, with prosecutors at one stage bringing out what they said was a semen-stained mattress allegedly used when he had sex with two male aides.

After being freed in 2004, Anwar was jailed a second time for sodomy in 2015, when Najib was in power.

Both times, he and his supporters said the charges were politically motivated.

Anwar told a news conference at his home on Wednesday that he had forgiven Mahathir, who was a pugnacious and uncompromising prime minister for 22 years from 1981.

“I and Mahathir have buried the hatchet already, it was a long time ago,” Anwar said. “I have forgiven him, he has proved his mettle. Why should I harbor any malice toward him?”

Slideshow (4 Images)

The pardon, which enables Anwar to re-enter politics immediately, was granted on the grounds that there had been a miscarriage of justice.

Mahathir had promised during the election campaign that he would step down and let Anwar be prime minister if he won the poll, but said this week he planned to stay in the post for one or two years.</s>Malaysia’s former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, jailed for sodomy four years ago, has walked free from prison after receiving a royal pardon.

Anwar’s release is the first big success of the newly elected governing coalition, Pakatan Harapan, led by 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, which was swept from opposition into power after a shock election victory last week.

At 11.30am on Wednesday, a frail but jubilant Anwar emerged from Charas rehabilitation hospital in Kuala Lumpur where he has recently been serving his sentence after an operation on his shoulder. He waved to the gathered crowds before getting into a car to go to the National Palace.

Few in Malaysia have been persecuted for their political views and popularity like Anwar, a man with three prison sentences and 11 years in jail to his name. The pardon was filed on the basis of a “miscarriage of justice”.

Sankara Nair, Anwar’s lawyer, said Anwar had seemed “composed and was quite upbeat, but also quite nervous” as he prepared to leave the the hospital. “It’s exhilarating to see him released, this was clearly a miscarriage of justice. This pardon has completely cleared him name at last, but it is a unique pardon, there has never been one like this in Malaysia.”

It was his first taste of freedom since 2014, following a prison sentence widely perceived as politically motivated; a manoeuvre by then prime minister Najib Razak to get rid of a feared political rival who had run against him - and won the popular vote - in the 2013 general election.



Speaking the day before his release, Izzah said that Anwar was “deeply exhilarated” at the prospect of release from prison. “It’s been so long that we’ve been craving not just freedom but justice,” she said. “The pardon will completely validate his innocence, so it’s a wonderful day for us. We’ve always been fighting alongside him.”



Among the crowds was Anwar’s old university friend, 78-year-old Azidin Mahmud, who travelled 300 miles to see his old friend’s release. “He has suffered too long but he really is a champion of justice,” said Azidin. “I saw him first speaking at the university of Malaysian Speaker’s Corner in 1968. Then we travelled together around all Malaysia, fighting for the freedom of the poor man. I am very very happy to see my friend finally released today. Long live Anwar Ibrahim.”

Ensuring the full royal pardon of Anwar was a key part of the agreement between Mahathir and the opposition when it was decided in January he would swap sides and run as their leader in the election, united by a joint desire to oust Najib. Mahathir’s previous 22-year reign as prime minister was as head of ruling party UMNO.

Under the same agreement, Mahathir will only serve as prime minister for two years, before handing power, finally, to Anwar. It was a vow he reiterated on the eve of Anwar’s release. “Maybe lasting one or two years, I will be the prime minister,” said Mahathir, though added: “I will play a role in the background even when I step down.”

The release also marks the next phase in Mahathir and Anwar’s turbulent relationship, which has been a decisive part of Malaysian politics for over three decades - Mahathir, after all, was the reason Anwar was jailed in the first place.

Anwar began his career in politics as Mahathir’s protege in the early 1980s – having already spent almost two years in jail for political protest – and quickly rose through the ranks to become deputy prime minister in 1993.

But his first downfall came in 1998, when he and Mahathir fell out over alleged cronyism and economic crisis, and when Mahathir began to fear Anwar’s vast popularity. Anwar was ousted from office and then found himself charged with sodomy and corruption. The resulting court case, the longest in Malaysian history, was an exercise in humiliation for Anwar, who was accused of sodomy with his speechwriter and wife’s chauffeur.

“I cannot accept a man who is a sodomist to become the leader of this country,” said Mahathir at the time. Even though the evidence was flimsy and much of it coerced, Anwar was found guilty in 1999 of corruption and in 2000 of sodomy, landing him with a cumulative 15 year prison sentence.

He was allowed out in 2004, having spent six years in solitary confinement, and was allowed back into politics in 2008, when he ran as opposition leader in the election. But his reappearance on the political scene was not without ramifications. In 2010, he was put on trial again for sodomy, in hearings that went on for two years. He was acquitted, then ran again as opposition leader in the 2013 elections, gaining more of the votes, but still losing to Najib.

Less than a year after Najib won the election, Anwar’s acquittal was overturned and he was sentenced to five years in jail for sodomy, where he has remained since.

Throughout his ordeal, Anwar has remained a uniting figure for the opposition, and his release will be decisive for the Pakatan Harapan coalition, who are already grappling with tension among their divided ranks of Anwar’s PKR party, Mahathir’s party Bersatu, the DAP and Amanah.</s>Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim — jailed for years following a conviction on sodomy charges widely viewed as politically motivated — walked free on Wednesday following a royal pardon.

The pardon, granted by Malaysia's King Muhammad V, was announced last week, a day after Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old political stalwart who was prime minister for more than 20 years until he resigned in 2003, returned to power after a 15-year hiatus.

As NPR's Bill Chappell reported last week, the move to pardon Anwar "had been discussed as a possibility before the election, but that was before the opposition pulled off its upset victory. The new coalition is led by Mahathir ... – Anwar's one-time ally, then his bitter enemy and, most recently, his political savior."

Anwar, now 70, was convicted in 2014 for a second time on charges of homosexuality in conservative Muslim Malaysia. In a strange twist of fate, however, it was Mahathir — the man whose stunning upset in elections last week paved the way for Anwar's release — who put him in prison the first time in 1999. On that occasion, Anwar spent five years in jail before his conviction was overturned.

The charges of sodomy first surfaced in a book written by the ex-editor of a state-run newspaper that then came to light at a time when Anwar — who had been fired from Mahathir's government where he had served as deputy prime minister and finance minister — had formed his "Reformasi" ("Reform") movement to challenge Mahathir.

In the elections last week, Anwar had thrown his support behind Mahathir. However, as Reuters notes, "The question for Malaysia now is how Anwar will get along with [Mahathir], his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, and what role he will play in the new government."

On Wednesday, however, the old rift seemed to recede to the background as Anwar basked in what he called a "new dawn."

"I have given my assurance, I am here as a concerned citizen to give complete support to manage the country on the understanding that we are committed to the reform agenda, beginning with the judiciary, media and the entire apparatus," Anwar said at a news conference at his home after leaving custody.

Anwar said he had no immediate plans for a return to politics and meant to spend time with his family after three years in jail.

"I've told Tun Mahathir, I don't need to serve in the cabinet for now," he said, using an honorific for the prime minister.

On May 9 Mahathir defeated Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was hobbled by a long-running and extensive corruption scandal that weighed heavily on his ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Anwar has continued to enjoy considerable popularity in Malaysia, despite his being jailed. When he was retried again four years ago during Najib's tenure, the Asia Sentinel prophetically observed that his conviction "could boost the opposition leader's political standing and damage the ruling Barisan Nasional."</s>KLA LUMPUR: Jailed Malaysian reformist Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon on Wednesday and walked out of a hospital in Kuala Lumpur just a week after his alliance scored a shock victory in a general election.

Smiling and waving to supporters, Anwar, dressed in a black suit and tie and his hair neatly swept back, was surrounded by his family, lawyers and prison guards before driving to the palace for an audience with King Sultan Muhammad V.

He was greeted at the palace by new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, with whom he joined forces to oust scandal-tainted Najib Razak's administration in last week's election.

"The king, with the advice of the pardons board of the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for ... Anwar bin Ibrahim," said a statement issued by the palace.

Anwar, 70, serving a five-year-sentence for sodomy, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in hospital under police guard.

The pardon allows Anwar to re-enter active politics immediately, but it was not clear what his role in government would be.

Mahathir, 92, had vowed to enable Anwar's release and eventually step aside for him to become the prime minister.

On Tuesday, Mahathir said he expected to be prime minister for one or two more years, setting off talk of differences between the two.

"Seeing him walk free makes me emotional, but the fight is not over," said Ridzuan Ismail, an Anwar supporter at the hospital.

"Now we need to see him become prime minister." Jack Seng, another supporter wearing a shirt with a logo of Anwar behind bars, said he thought Mahathir and Anwar would resolve any tensions between them.

"I think we need to let Mahathir do his work to save Malaysia and to get back its system of government." Nurul Izzah, Anwar's daughter, said her father's release was a gift ahead of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan which begins on Thursday in Malaysia.

"A pardon based on a miscarriage of justice, a separation met with an eventual embrace," she said in an Instagram post.

"We have got much to do, many more injustices to fight." Anwar's freedom is expected to ease fears of a growing rift within the newly formed coalition government, after differences erupted between supporters of Mahathir and Anwar over cabinet positions and Anwar's role in the party.

Mahathir is the leader of the ruling alliance and Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) won the majority of parliamentary seats in the group.

The volatile relationship between Mahathir and Anwar has dominated Malaysia's political landscape for over three decades and is central to the future of the alliance.</s>Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim received a royal pardon on Wednesday, opening the way for him to possibly one day become prime minister.

Anwar joined forces with his once bitter foe Mahathir Mohamad in a four-party alliance to win a shocking victory in the May 9 elections, ending more than 60 years of rule by the Basiran National coalition and ousting Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Mahathir, 92, was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday.

King Muhammad V pardoned Anwar after Mahathir said Friday the royal palace would undo homosexual sodomy charges against the imprisoned leader of People's Justice Party (PKR).

Anwar was once a protégé of Mahathir, who was previously prime minister from 1981 to 2003. The two had a falling out over the handling of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, resulting in Anwar being sacked as deputy prime minister.

Anwar was then sentenced to five years in prison for sodomy and corruption in what he and rights groups called a politically motivated attack.

He was freed in 2004, but then jailed again for five-years in 2015 for sodomy, in what his supporters considered an attempt by Najib to end his political career.

Anwar, 70, was set to be released from jail at the beginning of June, but without the royal pardon he would have faced a five year ban in politics.

Mahathir, the oldest head of government in the world, has agreed to eventually hand power to Anwar.

However, on Tuesday the prime minister said he planned to stay on for "an initial stage, maybe lasting one or two years."

"I will play a role in the background even when I step down," he said.

Meanwhile, there are signs of early tensions between Mahathir and Anwar's PKR, which won the most seats in the four-party alliance that ended Basiran National's entrenched rule. PKR is demanding a proportionate number of positions.

"I expect him to play the same role as the leaders of the other three parties. There will be no special powers given except as are given to ministers or deputy ministers or deputy prime ministers," Mahathir said.

So far only three ministers have been appointed, in addition to Mahathir and Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as deputy prime minister.

Separately, Malaysia and six countries are investigating defeated prime minster Najim over corruption at the state fund 1MDB. He has been barred from leaving the country.

Read more: Malaysia election: People were 'disgusted with government's corruption'

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Jailed Malaysian reformist Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon on Wednesday and walked out of a hospital in Kuala Lumpur just a week after his alliance scored a shock victory in a general election.

 Smiling and waving to supporters, Anwar, dressed in a black suit and tie and his hair neatly swept back, was surrounded by his family, lawyers and prison guards before driving to the palace for an audience with King Sultan Muhammad V..

 As he started his new life as a free man, Anwar Ibrahim declared a “new dawn for Malaysia.” The 70-year-old pledged to support top-to-bottom reform of the country, adding: “Now there is a new dawn for Malaysia. I must thank the people of Malaysia,”

 “The entire spectrum of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, have stood by the principles of democracy and freedom. They demand change.” He was greeted at the palace by new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, with whom he joined forces to oust scandal-tainted Najib Razak’s administration in last week’s election.

 “The king, with the advice of the pardons board of the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for … Anwar bin Ibrahim,” said a statement issued by the palace.

 Anwar, serving a five year-sentence for sodomy, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in hospital under police guard. The pardon allows Anwar to re-enter active politics immediately, but it was not clear what his role in government would be. Mahathir, 92, had vowed to enable Anwar’s release and eventually step aside for him to become the prime minister. On Tuesday, Mahathir said he expected to be prime minister for one or two more years, setting off talk of differences between the two.

 “Seeing him walk free makes me emotional, but the fight is not over,” said Ridzuan Ismail, an Anwar supporter at the hospital. “Now we need to see him become prime minister.” Jack Seng, another supporter wearing a shirt with a logo of Anwar behind bars, said he thought Mahathir and Anwar would resolve any tensions between them.—Agencies</s>KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Reuters) - Supporters began gathering on Thursday at the hospital from where jailed Malaysian reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim is expected to walk free just a week after his alliance scored a shock victory in a general election.

Devamacar Arumugam, 45, a woman wearing a sari made up of Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) flags, said she waited all day on Tuesday and was back just after dawn on Wednesday to see him free. "Today, I am very happy," she said.

Anwar joined forces with his old ally-turned-foe-turned ally, 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, to oust scandal-tainted former premier Najib Razak. Mahathir, who is now prime minister for a second stint, had vowed to enable Anwar's release and eventually step aside for him to become the prime minister.

Anwar, 70, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in the hospital under police guard.

A royal pardons board is set to meet at 11 a.m. (0300 GMT) to clear his release. PKR party leader Mohamed Azmin Ali told reporters outside the hospital that Anwar and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will go to the palace after that for an audience with the king, Sultan Muhammad V.

Anwar is seeking a royal pardon on the grounds of 'miscarriage of justice', which would reverse his conviction and make him eligible to actively participate in politics.

His freedom is expected to ease fears of a growing rift within the newly formed coalition government, after differences erupted between supporters of Mahathir and Anwar over cabinet positions and Anwar's role in the party.

Mahathir is the leader of the ruling alliance and Anwar's PKR won the majority of parliamentary seats in the group.

The volatile relationship between Mahathir and Anwar has dominated Malaysia's political landscape for over three decades and is central to the future of the alliance.

Ob Tuesday, Mahathir said he expected to be prime minister for one or two more years.

"I am disappointed because I had hoped he could be prime minister as soon as possible," said Talib Ibrahim, an Anwar supporter outside the hospital. Wearing a white shirt printed with a photograph of Anwar and the words "March 2 Freedom", he said he nevertheless believed Anwar and Mahathir could work together and that the alliance's prospects were good. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan and Tom Westbrook; Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)</s>Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, twice imprisoned on politically motivated sodomy and corruption charges, walked free from prison today with a full pardon. It was a day for celebration – for his family, his supporters, and for long-suppressed advocates of human rights in Malaysia.

It was also, perhaps, a day that will mark a new beginning for the rule of law in that country.

The release of Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and head of the opposition People’s Justice Party until his imprisonment, is the first tangible result of the unexpected election victory last week of a coalition that saw Ibrahim’s party align with Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old former prime minister who first imprisoned him in 1999. Brought together by a determination to oust recent Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been accused of large-scale corruption and has overseen serious repression of freedom of speech, assembly and the media in an effort to maintain political control, their Pakatan Harapan coalition ran on a reform platform.

With its first promise – to free Anwar – fulfilled, the coalition should make good on the rest of its promises. The coalition committed to abolishing the many repressive laws that have been used to arrest activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and ordinary citizens for criticizing the government or engaging in peaceful protest. Quick fulfillment of that pledge would send a strong signal that the new government, now headed by Mahathir, represents a true break from the abusive policies of the past.

There is much to be done for the coalition to make its human rights pledges a reality. It won’t be easy. The release of Anwar, who will be able to celebrate Ramadan with his family for the first time since 2014, is a hopeful first step.</s>Royal pardon caps a tumultuous two decades in which Anwar was twice imprisoned after falling out with two prime ministers. It also clears way for newly elected Mahathir Mohamad to hand over power within two years

Anwar Ibrahim, the jailed Malaysian politician who built the Pakatan Harapan alliance that swept to power in last week’s general election, has been freed.

Anwar, 70, walked out of a rehabilitation hospital where he was recuperating from a shoulder surgery just past 11.29am on Wednesday.

Dressed in a dark suit, a beaming Anwar gave the thumbs up sign to the assembled crowds and appeared ready to deliver a few remarks, but was ushered into a car amid an intense media scrum.

He was accompanied by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the deputy prime minister, and his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, an MP.

Anwar had been serving a five-year jail term for sodomy, though he considered himself a prisoner of conscience.

He was released after the country’s constitutional king Muhammad V granted him a full pardon.

Anwar met the king in the national palace in Kuala Lumpur immediately after his release.

Pakatan Harapan leaders had asked the monarch for the pardon last week.

The coalition has promised that the newly elected prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar’s mentor-turned-rival-turned-ally, will hand over power to his one-time protégé within two years.

Mohamad Suhaimi, one of hundreds of jubilant Anwar supporters who lined the streets outside the hospital, told he “couldn’t wait for Anwar to be prime minister”.

The charismatic orator’s large urban base was also out in full force at the gates of the national palace, holding flags of the leader’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (National Justice Party, or PKR) – Pakatan Harapan’s biggest party.

Anwar is scheduled to hold a press conference in his house at 4.30pm, and will speak at a rally in the district of Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur at 10pm.

Anwar’s release on Wednesday caps a tumultuous two decades in which the opposition icon endured two spells in jail after falling out with two different prime ministers.

Anwar had been serving as Mahathir’s deputy during the veteran politician’s first stint as prime minister when he was suddenly sacked in 1998, and later jailed for sodomy and corruption.

At the time Mahathir had said he needed to remove Anwar because he was “not fit for office” – though Anwar has always maintained that the charge was spurious and that Mahathir felt threatened at his popularity with the masses.

After Anwar’s pardon, when will Mahathir let him take power in Malaysia?

Upon his release in 2004, Anwar galvanised the “Reformasi” movement against the Barisan Nasional coalition that Mahathir was then leading – and that Anwar himself had helped start before going to jail.

The movement provided a much-needed boost for the languishing opposition, which Anwar fashioned into a potent force. Pakatan Harapan’s predecessor, Pakatan Rakyat, dealt heavy blows to Barisan Nasional in the 2008 and 2013 elections.

Anwar, however, was again jailed for sodomy in 2015, this time during the premiership of Najib Razak.

He maintains his innocence, and says on both occasions Mahathir and Najib used trumped up charges against him to keep him out of politics.

To this day, Mahathir maintains he sacked Anwar following advice from the police, and that it was the courts who decided Anwar’s fate – not him.

While still in prison Anwar embraced Mahathir’s decision to quit Barisan Nasional and join Pakatan Harapan in 2016.

Mahathir crossed aisles because he felt it was untenable to support Najib as premier following widespread allegations of his involvement in the 1MDB financial scandal.

On the eve of last week’s election, Anwar urged supporters to back Mahathir, who had brought him into government in the 1980s.

Anwar was a firebrand Islamist student activist before his entry into politics, and had served 20 months in jail in the 1970s after being detained without trial for his activism.

Later in his political life, he preached moderate Islam and democratisation.

“Mahathir has proven his tenacity, accepted his past limitations, apologised and sacrificed his time and energy to raise the dignity of the people,” Anwar wrote to his supporters on May 8. “I urge you all to join the people’s movement to demand change.”</s>Smiling and waving to supporters, Anwar, 70, was wearing a black suit with a tie. He was surrounded by his family, lawyers and prison guards before getting into a car and driving to the palace for an audience with the king.

He was greeted at the palace by new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, with whom he joined forces to oust scandal-tainted Najib Razak's administration in last week's election.

"The king, with the advice of the pardons board of the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for ... Anwar bin Ibrahim," said a statement issued by the palace.

Anwar, 70, serving a five year-sentence for sodomy, has been recovering from a shoulder injury in hospital under police guard.

Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday that he would give full support to the government led by former rival Mahathir Mohamad, but would not immediately be part of it.

"I have given my assurance, I am here as a concerned citizen to give complete support to manage the country on the understanding that we are committed to the reform agenda, beginning with the judiciary, media and the entire apparatus," Anwar said in a news conference at his home after he was freed from custody.
Malaysian longtime opposition figure and leader of incumbent government party Pakatan Harapan, Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison after obtaining a full royal pardon from King Muhammad V. Anwar was imprisoned in 2015 during the tenure of Najib Razak for charges widely considered to be politically motivated.